ORIGINAL ARTICLE
EFFECTIVE VARIATIONS ON ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION IN THE ELDERLY IN A CITY IN WEST OF TURKEY
 
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1
Osmangazi University Medical School, Department of Public Health, Eskisehir, Turkey
 
2
Osmangazi University Medical School, Department of Medico Social Center, Eskisehir, Turkey
 
3
Osmangazi University Medical School, Department of Emergency Medicine, Eskisehir, Turkey
 
 
Online publication date: 2006-10-15
 
 
Publication date: 2006-10-15
 
 
Corresponding author
Ünal Ayrancı   

Family Practitioner, Osmangazi University Medico-Social Center, 26480 Meselik-Eskisehir/Turkey Tel: 902222393750/1341, 902222401817 GSM: 905426600203
 
 
Eur J Gen Med 2006;3(4):152-158
 
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ABSTRACT
Aim: Although Turkey has one of the youngest populations when compared with those of European and Middle Eastern countries, the proportion of our elderly population has increased year-by-year and as has myocardial illnesses in parallel. The aim was to investigate the effects of the monthly, outdoor temperature and weekday variables on acute Myocardial Infarction (aMI) in the elderly, attending Emergency Departments (EDs). Methods: The records of patients aged 60 and over who had presented with aMI to three major EDs of a city in north-west Turkey between January 1998 and December 2000 were enrolled in the study. Patient records on the protocol register were reviewed retrospectively for date and month of presenting, age, gender, and outcome. Daily temperature records were taken from the Regional Weather and Meteorology Center. Student’s t test, Pearson Chi-square, ANOVA, and Logistic regression analyses were used for statistical analysis. Results: 79,123 elder patients had presented to the EDs during the study period. aMI was diagnosed in 1.56% (n=1,232) patients. The frequency of aMI in males was higher than that in females (p<0.001). aMI diagnosis in males was higher than that of females in April and November (p=0.027). There was a sudden 8.1 o C increase trend of the mean temperature in April and a 5.4 o C decrease in the mean temperature in November. Statistically significant independent predictors of fatal aMI were male gender (odds ratio [OR] 2.13, p=0.04), presentation to EDs in the September-October period(OR 3.43, p=0.01), and mean daily temperatures of between +1 o C and 15 o C (OR 3.21, p=0.008) and –22 and 0o C (OR 5.21, p=0.02). Conclusion: aMI and death from aMI were more frequent in the male gender (elder patients). The frequency of fatal aMI increased as the temperature decreased, especially when it fell below 15 o C. In addition to seasonal variability, a sudden increase or decrease in temperatures can be an important risk factor for aMI in the elderly. Independent predictors found in our study should be evaluated through further study.
eISSN:2516-3507
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