Predictors of Acute Myocardial Infraction in Patients With Vasculitis: A Nationwide Inpatient Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives The primary goal of this study is to explore demographic and comorbid factors that increase the hospitalization risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in patients with vasculitis along with the utilization rate of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)/angioplasty. Additionally, we aim to study the prevalence of AMI in vasculitis inpatients based on geographical distribution. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) in 2019 involving 33,210 inpatients hospitalized on emergency-based admissions with a co-diagnosis of vasculitis, subdivided into cohorts without AMI (N = 31,790) and with AMI (N = 1,420) as the primary diagnosis. A binomial logistic regression model was used to evaluate the odds ratio (OR) of predictors associated with AMI in patients with vasculitis compared to the non-AMI cohort. Results The prevalence of AMI in the total inpatient population with vasculitis was 4.28%, with a majority of patients being in the older age group of 51-65 years (63%), males (59.2%), and white (59%). Inpatients with vasculitis having pre-existing co-morbid conditions were at greater risk for AMI, such as obesity (OR 2.84, 95%CI 2.78-2.89), metastatic cancer (OR 1.73, 95%CI 1.26-2.37), complicated hypertension (OR 1.64, 95%CI 1.46-1.85), and arthropathies (OR 1.48, 95%CI 1.30-1.68). The in-hospital mortality rate was significantly higher in the AMI cohort compared to the non-AMI cohort (13% vs 2.9%). The utilization rate of PCI/endovascular angioplasty was 13.02% (185 out of 1,420) and had a lower in-hospital mortality rate compared to those managed by medical treatment (8.1% vs 13.8%). Conclusion AMI is an important differential diagnosis to consider in vasculitis patients admitted into the hospital with chest pain. Due to the low prevalence of vasculitis and diagnostic challenges, these primary conditions can be often missed. There is a greater risk of inpatient mortality among vasculitis patients with AMI. Therefore, a higher index of suspicion should be exercised, especially in elderly males with risk factors. Vasculitis patients with chronic comorbidities such as arthropathies, obesity and hypertension are at a greater risk for suffering from AMI. Careful screening and management of cardiovascular risk factors is mandatory in vasculitis patients.