Long-Term Survival Among Patients With Myocardial Infarction Before Age 50 Compared With the General Population

Thirty-day mortality after myocardial infarction (MI) has declined by >50% over the last 3 decades. Although patients <50 years of age have the lowest absolute short-term mortality risk, these patients still have concerns about their long-term mortality risk and whether it remains elevated compared with the general population after the initial critical postinfarction period. Few MI cohorts have complete long-term follow-up. The previous 2 studies, which were able to compare mortality of young MI patients with that of the general population, lacked data beyond 4 years of follow-up. To understand and potentially prevent post-MI deaths, it is necessary to examine causes of death and potentially effect-modifying comorbidities. We, therefore, examined long-term cause-specific death rates among patients hospitalized with MI before age 50 compared with the general population overall and in subgroups of patients according to sex and cardiometabolic comorbidity. Methods