Although there is an increasing prevalence of coronary heart disease at the old age, the frequency of chronic myocardial infarction seems to be less in favour of other forms of manifestation. The objective of the study was the assessment of the clinical features of patients with chronic myocardial infarction at a population of coronary patients over 65, admitted in the Department of Cardiac Rehabilitation.
Methods: There have been selected patients over 65 years with ischaemic heart disease: 29 with chronic myocardial infarction (Group A), and 31 with other forms of coronary heart disease (Group B). There were analysed cardiovascular risk factors, symptoms, lipidic profile, echocardiographic findings.
Results: Mean age of the groups A and B are 69.9 +/- 4.7 and respectively 71.6 +/- 4.9. Arterial hypertension is more frequent at group B (28/31 vs 22/29, p=0.05); at group A there is a higher rate of smoking (13/29 vs 8/31, p=0.007) and diabetes mellitus (12/29 vs 3/31, p=0.001). Dyspnea is prevalent at group B (26/31 vs 21/29, p=0.01), and the resting heart rate is greater at the same group (89 +/- 19/min vs 74 +/- 14/min, p=0.02). Group A associates more frequent atherosclerotic neurologic and peripheric disease (7/29 vs 5/31 p=0.05 and respectively 6/29 vs 4/31, p=0.01). Although the ejection fraction has similar values (53.9 +/- 10% at group A and 53.8 +/- 14% at group B), the regional contractility abnormalities are more frequent at group A (17/29 vs 11/31, p=0.005).
Conclusions: Old patients with chronic myocardial infarction are especially male gender, associate smoking, diabetes mellitus, other atherosclerotic neurological and peripheric diseases; the regional contractility disturbances are more prevalent at this group.