Maternal and paternal history of myocardial infarction and risk of cardiovascular disease in men and women

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Epidemiology
• Genetics and Public Health

Background:

• Limited research exists on the impact of parental myocardial infarction (MI) history, including age at MI, on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
• This risk is particularly understudied in women.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between parental history of MI and subsequent CVD risk in a large cohort of men and women.
• To examine the influence of the age at which parents experienced MI on offspring CVD risk.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study of 22,071 men (Physicians' Health Study) and 39,876 women (Women's Health Study).
• Data collected on parental MI history and age at MI.
• CVD events were tracked over 13.0 years for men and 6.2 years for women.

Main Results:

• A parental history of MI was associated with increased CVD risk in both men and women.
• Maternal history of MI conferred higher risks (RR 1.71 men, 1.46 women) than paternal history (RR 1.40 men, 1.15 women).
• Early parental MI (<60 years) showed a significantly greater risk of CVD compared to MI at older ages.

Conclusions:

• An early parental history of myocardial infarction (<60 years) is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
• Even maternal MI at older ages (70-79 in men, ≥60 in women) indicates an elevated CVD risk, highlighting the importance of any maternal MI history.