Recent respiratory infection and the risk of myocardial infarction

Abstract

Cases were recruited from patients admitted with a clinical diagnosis of MI to the coronary care units at two hospitals. Potential controls were recruited from neighbouring general practices matched for age, sex, and area deprivation score. In total 119 cases and 214 matched controls were recruited. The primary definition of respiratory infection was taken from the questionnaire data as: (1) any two of runny nose, stuffy or blocked nose, sore throat, hoarseness or general cold symptoms; or (2) any two of cough, sputum, or sputum colour change starting within the previous month. Participants were also asked about any chest pains on breathing and any fever (fever, high temperature, or night sweats). Conditional logistic regression was used to assess the association between symptoms of infection and MI. Results were adjusted for smoking status and history of angina.