title: Socioeconomic status and mortality after acute myocardial infarction: a study from Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies have shown an inverse relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and mortality due to coronary heart disease (CHD). Little is known about this association in Iran. This study aimed to investigate whether mortality after myocardial infarction (MI) varies by SES.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a retrospective study, 1283 MI patients who hospitalized in Tehran Heart Center from March 2005 to March 2006 were followed up in March 2008. Demographic, clinical and SES data were collected from case records and by telephone interviews. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the predictive effect of socioeconomic factors on outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all 664 patients were studied. Of these, 500 patients were alive and 164 were dead due to MI (64 died at hospital and 100 died at home). The results of regression analysis showed that in addition to treatment (OR = 9.52, 95%CI 4.84-18.7), having diabetes (OR = 1.78, 95% CI 1.12-2.81) or hyperlipidemia (OR = 1.82, 95% CI 1.14-2.90), socioeconomic variables including living area in square per person (lowest level vs. upper level OR = 4.92, 95% CI 2.11-11.4), unemployment (OR = 3.50, 95% CI 1.50-8.13) and education (OR for illiterate patients = 2.51, 95% CI 1.00-6.31) were the most significant contributing factors to increased mortality after MI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the findings should be interpreted with caution, the study results indicated that socioeconomic variables were significant contributing factors to increased mortality after myocardial infarction. The underlying role of socioeconomic status on increased mortality after MI deserves further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health, Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research, ACECR, Tehran, Iran. montazeri@acecr.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Tahereh
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Donyavi
authors.forename: Kourosh Holakouie
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Naieni
authors.forename: Saharnaz
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nedjat
authors.forename: Mariam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vahdaninia
authors.forename: Mahdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Najafi
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Montazeri