Objectives: This study determined whether people visiting a doctor because of infection had an increased risk of myocardial infarction.
Methods: For 83 case patients and 249 matched control patients nested in a cohort of 3172 Finnish male farmers, comparisons were made on the basis of visits to a doctor because of infection.
Results: Infections of the upper respiratory tract were statistically significantly associated with coronary artery disease. The odds ratio was 3.2 (95% confidence interval = 1.2, 8.5) for patients visiting a doctor four or more times because of infection of upper respiratory tract compared with patients with three or fewer visits.
Conclusion: Men in this sample with recurrent or chronic infections of the upper respiratory tract exhibited a pronounced risk for myocardial infarction.