Background: Update data regarding acute myocardial infarction (AMI)-related mortality in Italy remain scant. We assessed AMI-related mortality and time trends in Italy from 2007 to 2017 by using the Eurostat Mortality Database.
Methods: The vital registration data of Italy from the publicly free-available OECD Eurostat website database were analyzed for the period between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2017. Deaths reporting the codes I21 and I22 were extracted and analyzed according to the International Classification of Diseases 10th revision (ICD-10) coding system. Joinpoint regression was used to calculate nationwide annual trends in AMI-related mortality, determining the average annual percent change with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results: During the study period, 300 862 (132 368 men and 168 494 women) AMI-related deaths were recorded in Italy. Among 5-year age groups, AMI-related mortality increased with a seemingly exponential distribution. However, joinpoint regression analysis demonstrated a statistically significant linear decrease in age-standardized AMI-related mortality of -5.3 (95% CI -5.6, -4.9, p<0.0001) deaths per 100 000 individuals. A further sub-analysis, stratifying the population by gender, confirmed yielded results both in men (-5.7; 95% CI -6.3, -5.2, p<0.0001) and in women (-5.4; 95% CI -5.7, -4.8, p<0.0001).
Conclusions: The Italian age-adjusted mortality rates for AMI decreased over time, both in men and women.