Unrecognized MI tied to higher noncardiovascular mortality risk

(HealthDay)—Unrecognized myocardial infarction (MI) is associated with long-term increased risks of cardiovascular and noncardiovascular mortality, according to a study published in the Jan. 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.

Abbas Dehghan, M.D., Ph.D., from Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and colleagues investigated the long-term prognosis of unrecognized MI among participants in the population-based Rotterdam Study (2,672 men and 3,862 women). The presence of both recognized and unrecognized MI was determined at baseline in 1990 to 1993.

During a median of 15.6 years of follow-up, the researchers identified 3,412 deaths, including 1,300 from cardiovascular causes. Compared to those without MIs, men and women with recognized and unrecognized MIs had increased total mortality rates. For recognized MI, the hazard ratios (HRs) were 1.57 and 1.89, respectively, for men and women; the corresponding HRs were 1.72 and 1.36 for unrecognized MI. Unrecognized MI correlated with a significantly elevated risk of cardiovascular mortality (HRs, 2.19 and 1.36 for men and women, respectively) and noncardiovascular mortality (corresponding HRs, 1.47 and 1.39).

"In conclusion, the long-term prognosis of patients with unrecognized MIs is worse compared with those without MIs and applies not only to cardiovascular mortality but also to noncardiovascular mortality," the authors write.