AHRQ Announces the Availability of a Study on Heart Attacks Without Chest Pain

Press Release Date: June 27, 2000

Thirty-three percent of those patients diagnosed as having myocardial infarction (MI) did not have chest pain, according to a study supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), "Prevalence, Clinical Characteristics, and Mortality Among Patients with Myocardial Infarction Presenting Without Chest Pain." The study is in the June 28th issue of the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA). Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, led by John G. Canto, M.D., found that MI patients without chest pain were more likely to receive delayed treatment, less aggressive treatment, and an increased chance for in-hospital death, compared to MI patients with chest pain. The researchers concluded that national public health initiatives which educate the public and medical professionals might consider emphasizing that chest pain is not necessarily a key feature in MI cases, and might consider incorporating other MI characteristics to expedite diagnosis and treatment of these cases.

Note to Editors: For more details and interviews with Dr. Canto, contact Tracey Biscoff at (205) 934-8935 or Becky Weldon at (205) 934-2936.

For more information, contact AHRQ Public Affairs (301) 427-1364.

Internet Citation:

AHRQ Announces the Availability of a Study on Heart Attacks Without Chest Pain. Press Release, June 27, 2000. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2000/chstpr.htm