People with a high level of education may face a reduced risk of heart failure following a heart attack, according to new findings.
The findings from Norway may represent a high level of awareness about heart attack linked to level of education.
Dr Gerhard Sulo, of the University of Bergen in Norway, and colleagues, carried out a study involving 70,506 patients aged 35 to 85 years who had been hospitalised with a first heart attack during 2001 to 2009. None of the patients had a history of heart failure.
Details of the patients’ education level was taken from the Norwegian National Education Database.
Among the participants, 18% were diagnosed with early-onset heart failure. The risk was 9% lower for individuals who had completed secondary education, and 20% lower with tertiary education, versus those with only primary education.
Late-onset heart failure was examined separately. About 12% of participants were diagnosed, with the rate being 14% lower with secondary education, and 27% lower with tertiary education, compared with primary education.
The apparent effect of educational level on heart failure risk was similar for men and women. Details are published today (20 July) in The European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
Dr Sulo says: "Education per se cannot be considered a ‘protective exposure’ in the classical sense but represents a clustering of characteristics that influence health behaviours and outcomes.
"It has been shown that patients with lower education tend to delay seeking medical care when heart attack symptoms occur and they have poorer access to specialised care. Both of these factors increase the risk of developing early-onset heart failure after acute myocardial infarction.
Those with lower education are more likely to have coexisting medical conditions and unhealthy lifestyles which also increase the risk of heart failure."
Sulo, G. et al. Higher education is associated with reduced risk of heart failure among patients with acute myocardial infarction: A nationwide analysis using data from the CVDNOR project. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology 20 July 2016; doi: 10.1177/2047487316655910
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