Trends in event rates of first and recurrent, fatal and non-fatal acute myocardial infarction, and 28-day case fatality in the Northern Sweden MONICA area 1985-98.
OBJECTIVE
This study looks at trends in event rates of first and recurrent fatal and non-fatal acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and 28-day case fatality in AMI within the Northern Sweden MONICA area.


METHODS
The AMI event rate and 28-day case fatality in acute myocardial infarction were registered between 1985 and 1998 in the two northernmost counties in Sweden in men and women in the age groups 25-64 years.


RESULTS
Statistically significant mean annual decreases were found in fatal and non-fatal combined event rates (4% for men and 2.3% for women), fatal event rate (7.1% for men and 5% for women), fatal first acute myocardial infarction (7.1% for men and 4.4% for women), and both non-fatal and fatal recurrent AMI for both sexes (5.5% for both men and women for non-fatal and, for fatal AMI, 7.1% for men and 5.7% for women). In addition, there were significant decreases for men in non-fatal event rate (2.4%), and non-fatal first AMI (1.4%). The decreases in case fatality were small, especially so for women.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a trend of decreasing event rates in both fatal and non-fatal AMI, and first and recurrent AMI, most pronounced for men. The case fatality also decreased although to a lesser degree, suggesting that the decreasing mortality in ischaemic heart disease mainly is caused by reduced disease incidence.
Messner
Torbjörn
T
Department of Internal Medicine Kiruna District Hospital, Kiruna, Sweden. torbjorn.messner@kiruna.se
Lundberg
Vivan
V
Boström
Stina
S
Huhtasaari
Fritz
F
Wikström
Bo
B
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D012008:Recurrence; D015996:Survival Rate; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology