Background: There are inequalities in mortality from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) among the regions of Spain that must be monitored in order to correct them.
Objective: To determine the evolution of AMI in terms of: patient exposure to cardiovascular risk factors, population incidence, length of stay, case fatality rate, and adjusted risk of death during hospitalization (RD).
Methods: A descriptive study of hospital admissions for AMI in Spain from 2018 to 2023, recorded in the Minimum Basic Data Set, comparing the data from this period (P2) with those previously published for the period 2007-2014 (P1).
Results: 414,578 patients admitted for AMI in P1 and 394,817 during P2 were studied, of whom 33,569 and 33,487 died, respectively. Between the two periods, exposure to diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, renal insufficiency, and cocaine use increased significantly; only smoking decreased (p < 0.05). The incidence of AMI increased in all regions (p < 0.001). Length of stay decreased by 1 day (p < 0.001), and mortality remained stable, but with heterogeneity among regions: there were significant reductions in RD in Cantabria (44%), Murcia (19%), and Aragon (18%), as well as a significant increase in risk in Madrid (19%), Basque Country (17%) and Valencian Community (11%).
Conclusions: Between P1 and P2, the incidence of AMI increased in Spain, accompanied by greater patient exposure to diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, renal insufficiency, and cocaine use. The length of hospital stays decreased. RD changed heterogeneously, with significant improvements in Cantabria, Aragon, and Murcia, and a worsening in Madrid, Basque Country and Valencian Community.
Keywords: Acute myocardial infarction; Cardiovascular risk factors; Incidence; Mortality; Spain.
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