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Disparities in the incidence of acute myocardial infarction: long‐term trends from the Hunter region
Author(s) -
Davies Allan J.,
Naudin Crystal,
AlOmary Mohammed,
Khan Arshad,
Oldmeadow Chris,
Jones Mark,
Bastian Bruce,
Bhagwandeen Rohan,
Fletcher Peter,
Leitch James,
Boyle Andrew
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
internal medicine journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.596
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-5994
pISSN - 1444-0903
DOI - 10.1111/imj.13399
Subject(s) - medicine , incidence (geometry) , myocardial infarction , population , metropolitan area , psychological intervention , demography , indigenous , stroke (engine) , environmental health , pathology , mechanical engineering , ecology , physics , psychiatry , sociology , optics , biology , engineering
Background Trends in the incidence of acute myocardial infarction ( AMI ) provide important information for healthcare providers and can allow for accurate planning of future health needs and targeted interventions in areas with an excess burden of cardiovascular disease. Aim To investigate the regional variations in AMI incidence in the Hunter region. Methods Incident cases of AMI identified between 1996 and 2013 from the Hunter New England Health Cardiac and Stroke Outcomes Unit were prospectively collected for this study. We calculated crude and age‐adjusted incidence of AMI over an 18‐year period and explored differences in remoteness, age, sex and indigenous status. Results During 1996–2013, a total of 15 480 cases of AMI were identified. There was a significantly higher incidence of AMI in patients from regional areas compared to patients from metropolitan areas. More importantly, while rates of AMI declined by 28% in metropolitan patients, they increased by 8% in regional patients. Males had higher rates of AMI throughout the study period than females, however there was trend over time towards a reduction in AMI incidence in males that was not seen in females. The age‐adjusted incidence of AMI for indigenous patients increased by 48% from 2007 to 2013, compared to a 23% decrease in non‐indigenous patients. Conclusion Between 1996 and 2013 in the Hunter region, the adjusted incidence of AMI increased for regional patients compared to metropolitan patients with a trend towards a higher adjusted incidence of AMI in the indigenous population.