Myocardial Infarction - Epidemiology

Epidemiology

Myocardial infarction is a common presentation of ischemic heart disease/coronary artery disease. The World Health Organization estimated in 2004, that 12.2% of worldwide deaths were from ischemic heart disease; with it being the leading cause of death in high or middle income countries and second only to lower respiratory infections in lower income countries. Worldwide more than 3 million people have STEMIs and 4 million have NSTEMIs a year.

Rates of death from ischemic heart disease have slowed or declined in most high income countries, although cardiovascular disease still accounted for 1 in 3 of all deaths in the USA in 2008. In contrast, ischemic heart disease is becoming a more common cause of death in the developing world. For example in India, ischemic heart disease had become the leading cause of death by 2004 accounting for 1.46 million deaths (14% of total deaths) and deaths due to ischemic heart disease were expected to double during 1985–2015. Globally it is predicted that disability adjusted life years (DALYs) lost to ischemic heart disease will account for 5.5% of total DALYs in 2030, making it the second most important cause of disability (after unipolar depressive disorder), as well as the leading cause of death by this date.