Socioeconomic differences in myocardial infarction risk among 35-64 year old women in Kaunas, Lithuania.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the risk of a first myocardial infarction among different occupational categories in 35-64 year old women in Kaunas, Lithuania, a country in a transition market economy.


METHODS
We carried out a case-control study among women aged 35-64 who were residents in Kaunas between 1997-2000. We identified first nonfatal myocardial infarction cases (n = 191) from the hospital register (International Classification of Diseases, 10-th revision, code 121). Controls (N = 482) were selected on the basis of age and city district of residence. We obtained information on occupation, smoking, hypertension, psychosocial and behavioral factors. We used the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) to code for occupational categories and conducted logistic regression analysis to evaluate the relationship between a number of selected risk factors and myocardial infarction risk.


RESULTS
We found that legislators, senior officials and managers (1-st ISCO category) had a 2.64-fold increased risk for myocardial infarction and and service, shop and market sales workers (5-th ISCO category) 2-fold increased myocardial infarction risk as compared to technicians and associate professionals (3-rd ISCO category).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results on the role of socioeconomic gradient on myocardial infarction risk differ from findings in industrialized countries.
Malinauskiene
Vilija
V
Laboratory of Environmental Epidemiology, Institute of Cardiology, Kaunas University of Medicine, Str. Sukileliu 17, Kaunas LT-3007, Lithuania. r.malinauskas@lkka.it
Grazuleviciene
Regina
R
Azaraviciene
Ada
A
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008097:Lithuania / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D009790:Occupations; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors