Risk factors for acute myocardial infarction in patients with acute cerebral infarction: a case-control study

This retrospective case-control study examined factors associated with in-hospital acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in patients hospitalized for acute cerebral infarction (ACI). In-patients with AMI following ACI (n = 33) and age- and sex-matched controls who had ACI without AMI (n = 66) were recruited in a 1:2 ratio, and their data were assessed. The results showed that the group of patients experiencing AMI after ACI exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of ischemic heart disease (p = 0.036) and heart failure (p < 0.001), had elevated fibrinogen levels (p = 0.029), presented with higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores at admission (p < 0.001) and a lower proportion of them underwent thrombolytic therapy (p = 0.004) compared to the ACI-only group. The mortality rate was substantially higher in the AMI after ACI group than in the ACI-only group (18.2% vs. 1.5%, p = 0.008). Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified that higher NIHSS scores at admission (odds ratio, OR = 1.21, 95% confidence interval, CI = 1.16-1.39, p = 0.004), elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.001-1.14, p = 0.047) and the administration of thrombolytic therapy (OR = 0.02, 95% CI = 0.001-0.48, p = 0.015) were independently associated with AMI following ACI. In conclusion, NIHSS scores at admission, hs-CRP levels and thrombolytic therapy were found to be independent factors associated with in-hospital AMI following ACI.