ABSTRACT
Objective: This study was carried out to determine the incidence rate (IR) and selected demographic and other epidemiologic characteristics of first-time acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in patients admitted to the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) in South Trinidad, a predominantly Indo-Trinidadian (280 428) and Afro-Trinidadian (127 837) population.
Methods: Selected demographic and clinical variables were measured among all the first-time AMI patients at the SFGH during a 14-month period: March 1, 2011 to April 30 2012. The inclusion criteria used were; consenting, coherent patients who showed first-time AMI.
Results: Acute myocardial infarction accounted for 1.9% of all the medical admissions. The overall IR of AMI in South Trinidad was 90.6 per 100 000 population with a 1:1.9 Afro-Trinidadian to Indo-Trinidadian ratio. The IR was higher among male patients for both ethnic groups and varied significantly by gender and ethnicity: Indo-Trinidadian males (141 per 100 000), Indo-Trinidadian females (90 per 100 000), Afro-Trinidadian males (81 per 100 000) and Afro-Trinidadian females (45 per 100 000). Non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) accounted for 69.3% and 30.7% of the cases, respectively. ST-elevation myocardial infarction was more than three times as prevalent among Indo-Trinidadians as Afro-Trinidadians, with males accounting for 80% of all cases.
Conclusion: The IR of first-time AMI is high in South Trinidad. Gender and ethnicity patterns mirror those of AMI patients internationally. Indo-Trinidadian males are at the greatest risk.