Impact of dementia and drug compliance on patients with acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND: In South Korea, the number of people with dementia is rising at a worrisome rate, and many of them also have acute myocardial infarction (AMI), a disease with a high mortality rate. HYPOTHESIS: We speculated that dementia and drug compliance have significant impact on the mortality of patients with AMI. METHODS: The study derived data from the National Health Insurance Service‐Senior for a retrospective cohort study. The total number of patients diagnosed with AMI for the first time between 2007 and 2013 was 16 835, among whom 2021 had dementia. Medication possession ratio (MPR) was used to assess medication adherence. RESULTS: AMI patients with dementia had unfavorable baseline characteristics; they had significantly higher risk of all‐cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.49; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.34−2.66; p < .001) and lower MPR (aspirin: 21.9% vs. 42.8%; p < .001). AMI patients were stratified by presence of dementia and medication adherence, and the survival rate was the highest among those with no dementia and good adherence, followed by those with no dementia and poor adherence, those with dementia and good adherence, and those with dementia and poor adherence. The multivariable analysis revealed that dementia (HR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.53−1.75; p < .001) and poor adherence to medication (HR: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.49−1.71; p < .001) had a significant association with all‐cause mortality in AMI patients. CONCLUSIONS: AMI patients with dementia have a higher mortality rate. Their prognosis is negatively affected by their poorer medication adherence than patients without dementia.