Trends in Hospitalization Rates for A First Myocardial Infarction In New Jersey 2000-2014

There has been a remarkable decline in the incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) for the past several decades. However, scant data are available on whether this decline has increased, diminished, or remained stable in recent years. Using the Myocardial Infarction Data Acquisition System (MIDAS), a statewide database of all cardiovascular hospital admissions in New Jersey, we identified 168,966 patients with a primary diagnosis of MI. We examined time trends in incidence from the year 2000 to the year 2014. A steep decline in MI incidence was observed in all age groups with an overall decline of 30.2% over the period. The decline was seen in all age groups but was most pronounced in the 80-84 age group. Hispanics had the greatest decline followed by whites and finally blacks. Males had a greater decline than females. The decline was seen to level off after 2008. This remarkable pattern of incidence decline may be related to the increase in use of interventional and pharmacological therapies that plateaued after 2008. In conclusion, this study shows a decline in MI incidence that leveled off after 2008.