Effect of constipation on hospitalization due to heart failure in patients after myocardial infarction: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Patients with constipation after acute heart failure (HF) are at high risk of rehospitalization due to HF. Although HF after myocardial infarction (MI) affects patient outcomes, the relationship between constipation and patient prognosis after MI remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the effects of constipation on the prognosis of patients with MI, focusing on hospitalization due to HF. METHODS: We investigated 1,324 patients with MI admitted to our hospital between January 2012 and December 2023 (mean age, 68 ± 14 years; 76% males). Patients with constipation were defined as those using laxatives regularly. RESULTS: During the follow-up period (median, 2.7 years), 115 patients died, and 99 were re-hospitalized due to HF. Landmark Kaplan-Meier analyses revealed incidences of 7.8% and 2.1% hospitalization due to HF from 0 to 0.5 years (log-rank: p < 0.0001) and 4.8% and 3.9% from 0.5 to 3 years (log-rank: p = 0.17) among patients with and without constipation, respectively. The adjusted Cox proportional hazards analysis revealed a significantly higher risk of hospitalization due to HF from 0 to 0.5 years in patients with constipation than in those without it (hazard ratio, 2.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-4.19; p = 0.032). However, no significant difference was found from 0.5 to 3 years (hazard ratio, 0.86; 95% confidence interval, 0.47-1.57; p = 0.63). CONCLUSIONS: Constipation was strongly associated with a higher risk of hospitalization due to HF in patients with MI during the first 6 months after discharge.