Risk factors, hospital management and outcomes after acute myocardial infarction in South Asian Canadians and matched control subjects.

Background: Coronary artery disease affects a significantly larger proportion of Canadians of South Asian origin than Canadians of other ethnic origins. We compared differences in presentation, risk factors and management of myocardial infarction (MI) between South Asian Canadians and matched control subjects.

Methods: We reviewed the charts of 553 South Asian patients and 553 non-South Asian matched control subjects presenting with acute MI (International Classification of Diseases code 410) to 2 hospitals in Canada from January 1994 to April 1999.