Decrease in the incidence of acute myocardial ischemic syndrome in young women has slowed

The Heart and Lung Center and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) have studied the trends in acute myocardial ischemic syndrome in women and men aged 35–74 in 1996–2021. Researchers examined the trends in incidence, mortality and case fatality.

“There was an annual reduction of approximately 1.7% in the incidence of acute myocardial ischemic syndrome in women aged 35–74, but this decline started to stagnate at the beginning of the 2010s. There was no change in the incidence among young and middle-aged women aged 35–55 during the study period,” says Licentiate of Medicine Atte Kallström.

In men, the incidence of acute myocardial ischemic syndrome decreased in all age groups, but the decline started to slow down at the beginning of the 2010s. On average, the incidence decreased by 2.0% annually.

“We have not succeeded in preventing acute myocardial ischemic syndrome in particular in young women in the 21st century, despite education and new medications. In order for the decline in incidence to continue to go down among older women and men of all ages, more attention should also be paid to prevention,” emphasizes Doctor of Medical Science Markus Ramste from the Heart and Lung Center.

People can identify the symptoms of heart attack and seek medical attention

The decrease in mortality was much faster than the decrease in incidence and remained stable throughout the period studied. On average, mortality decreased by 4.4% among men and 5.0% among women each year. On average, case fatality decreased by 2.7% among men and 3.3% among women each year.

The decrease in mortality is likely a result of improved treatment practices for acute myocardial ischemic syndrome and the fact that people are more aware of the importance of seeking medical attention if they experience heart attack symptoms.

The widespread adoption of accurate blood tests in health care may also be the reason why more “minor” heart attacks are now more easily detected, impacting the decline in mortality and case fatality.

“Mortality has been declining for a long time and there has also been a decline in incidence, but we can achieve better outcomes. In many Western European countries, the mortality rate of cardiovascular diseases is lower than in Finland,” says Professor Juha Sinisalo from the Heart and Lung Center.

Link to the study:
Full article: Divergent trends in the incidence and mortality of acute myocardial ischaemic syndrome, especially in women. Evidence from Finland in 1996–2021

In a university hospital, research is part of the treatment: we continuously evaluate and develop care based on scientific research evidence and patient experience. At HUS, we conduct close research collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Helsinki. We publish approximately 2,400 peer-reviewed research articles) annually, which we highlight in our newsfeed.