MEDICATION ADHERENCE AND ITS IMPACT ON THE AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY AFTER ST-SEGMENT ELEVATION MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION:...

The aim: The present study aimed to evaluate the adherence to medications prior and within a two-year period after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and to estimate its impact on the average lifespan of patients after STEMI.

Materials and methods: 1,103 patients with STEMI were enrolled in the prospective Ukrainian STIMUL registry with 24-month follow-up. The relationship between adherence to medical treatment and average lifespan was evaluated.

Results: The majority of prior STEMI patients were characterized with high and very high cardiovascular risk. The rate of revascularization was 29.9% (21.5% pPCI, 8.4% fibrinolytic therapy). The main reason for the low level of pPCI was late hospitalization and the inaccessibility of pPCI. This contributed greatly to in-hospital mortality (11.3%). Adherence to all medications progressively decreased (p < 0.001) within 24 months after STEMI. Permanent use of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and statins during the two-year follow-up was associated with 7.0% of the mortalities, whereas non-adherence to medications was related to a 15% risk of death (OR 4.2; 95% CI 0.2-0.9; p < 0.05). The average life expectancy with regular use of ASA and statins within 24 months after STEMI was 62.3 ± 1.1 years (95% CI 60.1-64.4; p < 0.05) and 61.2 ± 0.9 years with non-regular use of ASA and statins (95% CI 59.4-62.9; p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Adherence to evidence-based medicines was low in the STIMUL population both prior and after STEMI. This worsened cardiovascular prognosis and reduced average lifespan by one year within the following two years after STEMI.