One in four persons at the time of their first major heart attack did not have the common risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and smoking, according to a recently published study by doctors from the Madras Medical College. What’s more, the study found that in-hospital deaths or all-cause mortality up to a year after discharge was similar in groups with and without the risk factors.
The findings are based on data from 2,379 enrolled in the hospital’s heart attack (STEMI) registry between September 2018 and October 2019.
“People would think that mortality should be less in those without any of the standard risk factors, but we found that is not the case. In fact, some of the studies from the West has shown that the risk of dying is actually higher in those without the risk factors. This could be because the people with risk factors are much more likely to seek medical advice and try to make lifestyle changes,” says Dr G Justin Paul, lead author of the study and professor at the Institute of Cardiology at Madras Medical College.
The study also found that more women than men suffered heart attacks without the four risk factors – 27.1 per cent women as compared to 22.1 per cent men. “The reason why more women were enrolled without standard risk factors could be because women tend to give lesser importance to themselves and prioritise the needs of others. They are less likely to undergo preventive health check-ups identify their cardiac risk status,” adds Dr Paul” adds Dr Paul.
Those without the risk factors also tended to be older and former smokers. The mean age of those who had a heart attack without the risk factors was 57.4 as compared to 55.7 for those who had the risk factors. The study also found that 10.4 per cent of those who did not have the four risk factors at the time of heart attack were former tobacco users, while only 5 per cent of those with the risk factors were.
