No higher risk of myocardial infarction among bipolar patients in a 6-year follow-up of acute mood episodes.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is to estimate the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) among bipolar disorder patients during a 6-year follow-up after acute mood episodes. The risk is compared with that of a cohort of patients who underwent appendectomy operations during the same period.


METHODS
We used administrative claims data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database covering the years 1997-2002, with the two study cohorts comprising patients hospitalized for bipolar disorder (n = 1429) or appendectomies (n = 4993) in 1997. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to compare the crude odds ratio of patients in these cohorts developing AMI following the index discharge by gender.


RESULTS
A total of 2.24% of the bipolar disorder patients developed AMI during the 6-year follow-up period, when compared with 1.72% of the appendectomy patients. The multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that there were no significant relationships between the patients in the two cohorts developing AMI, regardless of gender.


CONCLUSIONS
There were no significant differences in the risk of developing AMI between patients with bipolar disorder and patients undergoing appendectomy operations, when compared either by gender or as whole groups.
D000368:Aged; D001062:Appendectomy; D001714:Bipolar Disorder; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors