Background: Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in Kuwait, yet data about patient characteristics and practice patterns are lacking.
Objectives: To establish a registry of all acute myocardial infarction (AMI) cases admitted to the general hospitals in Kuwait, so that the characteristics and management patterns of patients with AMI could be accurately determined.
Methods: For six consecutive months, all patients with AMI admitted to the coronary care units of the five participating hospitals were prospectively included in the registry.
Results: Of the 662 patients, 87% were men. The mean age was 55 years. A history of diabetes, hypertension and current smoking was found in 41%, 35% and 49% of patients, respectively. A history of hypercholesterolemia or a fasting cholesterol of 5.2 mmol/L or greater was found in 56% of patients. Eighty per cent suffered ST-segment elevation AMI. Four hundred seventy-six patients who were eligible for thrombolytic therapy were identified, 12 (3%) of whom did not receive it. The median time from diagnostic electrocardiogram to thrombolytic therapy was 45 min. The rate of prescribing acetylsalicylic acid, beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and statins at discharge among survivors was 98%, 86%, 51% and 50%, respectively. The in-hospital mortality rate was 6.2%.
Conclusions: The Kuwaiti AMI population is young, with high rates of diabetes, smoking and hypercholesterolemia. The majority of patients have ST-segment elevation AMI. Thrombolytic therapy is appropriately used, but measures need to be introduced to decrease the time to treatment. The rate of use of acetylsalicylic acid and beta-blockers was appropriate, while that of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and statins needs to be improved.