Incidence of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Hungary: A Nationwide Study

Background/Objective: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a common, life-threatening condition and represents a substantial disease burden in Hungary. The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of AMI in Hungary. Methods: This nationwide, retrospective, longitudinal study used data from the National Health Insurance Fund and included patients aged ≥15 years who were newly diagnosed with AMI (ICD-10 codes I21 or I22) between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2023. Age-standardized incidence rates and their regional distributions were calculated using the European Standard Population from 2013. Results: A total of 16,171 and 14,797 patients with AMI were identified in 2019 and 2023, respectively, showing a declining trend (−1.60%; 95% CI: −2.10% to −1.10%; p < 0.0001). Age-standardized incidence rates varied between 144.22 and 166.63/100,000 person-years (PYs) during the analyzed period. The highest age-standardized incidence was detected among men (235.75/100,000 PYs) in 2019. The annual decrease in AMI incidence was significantly greater (p = 0.003) among women (−2.60%; 95% CI: −3.39% to −1.80%) than among men (−1.06%; 95% CI: −1.71% to −0.41%). Conclusions: The incidence of AMI in Hungary was in line with findings from other studies conducted in Central and Eastern European countries. AMI incidence showed a decreasing trend during the analyzed period. Men had higher incidence rates, and the declining trend was more pronounced among women.