Comparison of Trends in Incidence, Revascularization, and In-Hospital Mortality in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction in Patients With Versus Without Severe Mental Illness

Abstract

Patients with severe mental illness (SMI), including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, are at elevated risk of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) but have previously been reported as less likely to receive revascularization. To study the persistence of these findings over time, we examined trends in STEMI incidence, revascularization, and in-hospital mortality for patients with and without SMI in the National Inpatient Sample from 2003 to 2012. We further used multivariate logistic regression analysis to assess the odds of revascularization and in-hospital mortality. SMI was present in 29,503 of 3,058,697 (1%) of the STEMI population. Patients with SMI were younger (median age 58 vs 67 years), more likely to be women (44% vs 38%), and more likely to have several co-morbidities, including diabetes, chronic pulmonary disease, substance abuse, and obesity (p <0.001 for all). Over time, STEMI incidence significantly decreased in non-SMI (p for trend <0.001) but not in SMI (p for trend 0.14). Revascularization increased in all subgroups (p for trend <0.001) but remained less common in SMI. In-hospital mortality decreased in non-SMI (p for trend = 0.004) but not in SMI (p for trend 0.10). After adjustment, patients with SMI were less likely to undergo revascularization (odds ratio 0.59, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.61, p <0.001), but SMI was not associated with increased in-hospital mortality (odds ratio 0.97, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.01, p = 0.16). In conclusion, in contrast to the overall population, the incidence of STEMI is not decreasing in patients with SMI. Despite changes in the care of STEMI, patients with SMI remain less likely to receive revascularization therapies.