Ten‐year mortality for patients discharged after hospitalization for chest pain or other symptoms raising suspicion of acute myocardial infarction in relation to hospital discharge diagnosis

. Herlitz J, Karlson BW, Sjölin M, Lindqvist J (Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden). Ten‐year mortality for patients discharged after hospitalization for chest pain or other symptoms raising suspicion of acute myocardial infarction in relation to hospital discharge diagnosis. J Intern Med 2002; 251: 526–532. Aim. To describe the 10‐year prognosis for patients discharged after hospitalization for chest pain or other symptoms giving an initial suspicion of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in relation to the final hospital diagnosis and furthermore to compare the outcome amongst these patients with the outcome amongst a sex‐, age‐ and community‐matched con‐ trol population. Methods. All patients who were hospitalized because of chest pain or other symptoms raising a suspicion of AMI and who were discharged alive from hospital. Patients were divided into three groups according to the final diagnosis: (1) confirmed or possible AMI, (2) confirmed or possible myocardial ischaemia and (3) other aetiology. Information on 10‐year mortality was available in 3103 patients. A sex‐, age‐ and community‐matched control population (n=3221) was compared with the study population in terms of 10‐year mortality. Time of the survey. 15 February 1986 to 9 November 1987. Setting. Sahlgrenska University Hospital. Results. Patients with confirmed or possible AMI (n=849) had a significantly higher mortality (59.4%) than patients with confirmed or possible myocardial ischaemia (n=1191) who had a mortality of 49.5% (P