Heart Attack Declines Slowing for Women Compared With Men: Kaiser Permanente Study

While recent declines in heart attack rates continue, they are slowing for women according to results of a new Kaiser Permanente study published in Circulation suggests.

“In recent decades, the rates of incidence acute myocardial infarction (MI) have declined in the United States, yet disparities remain,” the authors wrote. “In an integrated health care delivery system, we examined temporal trends in incident acute MI among men and women.”

The study looked at more than 45,000 (n=45,331) hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction (MI) in both women and men who were enrolled in the Kaiser health system between 2000 and 2014. Participants were 35 years of age or older. The authors looked at first hospitalization for acute MI overall, for ST-segment-elevation MI (STEMI), and for non-STEMI. They then calculated age- and sex-adjusted incidence rates per 100,000 person-years, as well as average annual percent changes (AAPCs) and period percent changes. They also conudcted trend tests using Poisson regression.

According to the study results, age– and sex-standardized incidence rates of acute MI declined between 2000 and 2014 (from 322.4 to 174.6, respectively, representing an AAPC of -4.4% (95% CI, -4.2 to -4.6), and a period percent change of -46.6%. For women, the AAPC was -4.6% between 2000 and 2009, but declined to -2.3% between 2000 and 2014. During the same time period, the AAPC for acute MI in men was stable. AAPC for STEMI also declined for women (-10.2% in 2000-2009 to -5.2% in 2010-2014 while remaining stable for men during the same time period. AAPC for non-STEMI was smaller for both women (-1.9%) and for men (-2.8%).

“The study points to the need for continued improvement in the awareness, prevention, recognition, and treatment of risk factors for heart disease in women,” Kristi Reynolds, PhD, MPH, senior study author and director of Epidemiologic Research with the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation, commented in a news release. “It also shows that more research needs to be done to understand the disparities between men and women.”

The incidence of hospitalized #AMI has declined between 2000-2014, however declines in AMI are slowing among women compared with men in recent years https://t.co/gHbxBWbeDz #AHAJournals #GoRedForWomen pic.twitter.com/jrMLi2CQf0

— Circulation (@CircAHA) February 17, 2020