January 22, 1992JAMA85 citations
Living alone after myocardial infarction. Impact on prognosis
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Key Result
Living alone after an acute myocardial infarction significantly increased the risk of recurrent major cardiac events compared to not living alone (HR 1.54; 95% CI 1.04-2.29; P<.03).
Study Design
Type
RCT (n=1,234)
Blinding
double-blind
Randomization
randomized
Multicenter
Yes
Structured PICO
Does living alone increase the risk of recurrent major cardiac events in patients after an initial myocardial infarction?
P
Population
1,234 patients aged 25 to 75 years with recent acute myocardial infarction, followed for a mean of 2.1 years.
I
Intervention
Living alone
C
Comparator
Not living alone
O
Outcome
Recurrent major cardiac event (either recurrent nonfatal infarction or cardiac death)composite
Living alone after an acute myocardial infarction is an independent risk factor for recurrent major cardiac events, highlighting the prognostic importance of social factors in post-MI recovery.
Main Result
Hazard Ratio: 1.54 (95% CI 1.04–2.29)
Absolute Event Rate: 15.8% vs 8.8%
p-value: p=<.03
Abstract
Objective. —To determine if the presence of a disrupted marriage or living alone would be an independent prognostic risk factor for a subsequent major cardiac event following an initial myocardial infarction. Design. —Prospective evaluation in the placebo wing of a randomized, double-blind drug trial in patients with an enzyme-documented acute myocardial infarction who were admitted to a coronary care facility. Data for living alone and/or a marital disruption were entered into a Cox proportional hazards model constructed from important physiologic and nonphysiologic factors in the same database. Setting. —Multicenter trial in a mixture of community and academic hospitals in the United States and Canada. Patients. —All consenting patients who were 25 to 75 years of age and without other serious diseases were enrolled (placebo, N = 1234) within 3 to 15 days of the index infarction and followed for a period of 1 to 4 years (mean, 2.1 years). Nine hundred sixty-seven patients were followed for 1.1 years and 530 for 2.2 years. Primary Outcome Measure. —Recurrent major cardiac event (either recurrent nonfatal infarction or cardiac death). Results. —Living alone was an independent risk factor, with a hazard ratio of 1.54 (95% confidence interval, 1.04 to 2.29;PP=.001). A disrupted marriage was not an independent risk factor. Conclusion. —Living alone but not a disrupted marriage is an independent risk factor for prognosis after myocardial infarction when compared with all other known risk factors. (JAMA. 1992;267:515-519)