Objective To investigate differences in 28-day and 5-year mortality and 5-year readmission after a first hospitalisation for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and congestive heart failure (CHF) between first generation ethnic minority groups (henceforth, migrants) and the ethnic Dutch population.

Methods Nationwide prospective cohorts of first hospitalised AMI (N=213 630) and CHF patients (N=189 069) between 1998 and 2010 were built. Differences in 28-day and 5-year mortality and in 5-year AMI/CHF readmission between migrants (Surinamese, Moroccan, Turkish, Antillean, Indonesian, Chinese and South Asian) and the ethnic Dutch population were investigated using Cox proportional hazard regression models.

Results After the first AMI hospitalisation, mortality and AMI/CHF readmission were higher in the majority of migrant groups compared with ethnic Dutch. For example, HRs (adjusted for age, sex, marital status, degree of urbanisation and year of event) with 95% CIs among Surinamese (mainly of African or South-Asian origin) were 1.16 (1.02 to 1.32) for 28-day mortality, 1.44 (1.30 to 1.60) for 5-year mortality, 1.33 (1.08 to 1.63) for AMI readmission and 2.09 (1.82 to 2.40) for CHF readmission. After a first CHF hospitalisation, mortality rates among migrants were more diverse, with lower 28-day mortality among Moroccan and Turkish migrants and higher 5-year mortality among Surinamese, Chinese and South Asians. Readmission after CHF was often higher among migrant groups.

Conclusions Prognosis after a first AMI hospitalisation was worse among most migrant groups compared with the ethnic Dutch population. Ethnic inequalities in prognosis after a first CHF hospitalisation were more diverse. Efforts should be made to disentangle the underlying factors of the results.