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Attributable risks for acute myocardial infarction in four countries of Latin America

Mario Ciruzzi1, Herman Schargrodsky, Palmira Pramparo

  • 1Instituto de Cardiología, La Habana, Cuba. mciruzzi@intramed.net.ar

Medicina
|January 15, 2004
PubMed

Insights

High cholesterol and other risk factors significantly contribute to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) across the Americas. Understanding these attributable risks (AR) can guide public health strategies, particularly in resource-limited nations.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) poses a significant global health burden.
  • Identifying modifiable risk factors is crucial for effective prevention strategies.
  • Previous studies have explored risk factors, but regional variations in attributable risk (AR) require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the proportions of AMI attributable to key risk factors in four American countries.
  • To estimate the attributable risks (AR) for hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, and body mass index in specific populations.
  • To determine the combined impact of major coronary heart disease risk factors on AMI cases.

Main Methods:

  • A multicenter case-control study design was employed.
  • Data were collected from 1060 cases and 1071 controls in Argentina, 323 cases and 314 controls in Cuba, 200 cases and 200 controls in Mexico, and 266 cases and 264 controls in Venezuela.
  • Attributable risks (AR) were calculated using the prevalence of risk factors in cases and Odds Ratios (OR) from multivariate models.

Main Results:

  • Attributable risks for hypercholesterolemia varied by country: Venezuela (27%), Mexico (3%), Cuba (30%), and Argentina (36%).
  • Attributable risks for diabetes were: Venezuela (10%), Mexico (15%), Cuba (5%), and Argentina (7%).
  • Attributable risks for body mass index were: Venezuela (12%), Mexico (3%), Cuba (19%), and Argentina (17%).
  • Combined risk factors accounted for a substantial proportion of AMI cases: Venezuela (76%), Mexico (70%), Cuba (81%), and Argentina (79%).

Conclusions:

  • The attributable risk of specific factors for AMI differs across populations.
  • Hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, smoking, diabetes, body mass index, and family history collectively explain a large majority of AMI cases in the studied regions.
  • Understanding these population-specific ARs is vital for tailoring public health interventions, especially in areas with limited healthcare resources.

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