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Risk factors for acute myocardial infarction among men in the subarctic area
Objective:
To describe and quantify the main risk factors for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) among males in the subarctic region of Sweden.
Design:
Case-control study comprising a questionnaire and a clinical examination.
Setting:
Kiruna, a town about 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle with a very high mortality from ischaemic heart disease.
Subjects:
219 patients 35 to 64 years of age admitted to Kiruna District Hospital with a first myocardial infarction between 1973 and 1985, and 438 age-matched controls.
Results:
The main risk factors for the whole group were hypertension (odds ratio [OR] 3.5), family history of AMI (OR 2.2), diabetes mellitus (OR 2.2), and smoking (OR 1.7). The distribution and strength of the risk factors differed between Kiruna-born and migrants into the community.
Conclusion:
Apart from the traditional risk factors, environmental and psycho-social factors and population dynamics must be taken into account when assessing the risk for a man in Kiruna of developing a myocardial infarction.