Original ArticlesComparison of reported symptoms of acute myocardial infarction in Mexican Americans versus non-Hispanic whites (the Corpus Christi heart project)☆
Section snippets
Patient selection
Between May 1988 and April 1990, patients hospitalized and diagnosed as either having definite or possible acute myocardial infarction (AMI) were recruited and interviewed in Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas. Eligible patients were between the ages of 25 and 74 years, and were hospitalized for suspected acute cardiac ischemia (AMI, unstable angina, chest pain/rule out myocardial infarction) in coronary care or other special care units at the 7 hospitals serving the Nueces County population.
Patient characteristics
The total study population was comprised of 623 self-identified Mexican-American and non-Hispanic white men and women, ages 25 through 74 years, who met the criteria for definite or possible myocardial infarction. Of the 623 patients, 34 asymptomatic patients were excluded from this analysis. The final study population comprised 296 Mexican Americans and 293 non-Hispanic whites. Among Mexican Americans, 107 were women (36%) and 189 were men (64%). Among non-Hispanic whites, 94 were women (32%)
Discussion
This study sought to document the differences in the presenting symptoms of Mexican Americans compared with non-Hispanic whites. In the current study, significant ethnic differences were observed in the prevalence of reporting for 4 of 12 symptoms. These differences in symptom reporting emphasize the need to provide specific information when designing educational messages. Although it is important that there is awareness of all possible AMI symptoms, it is equally important to underscore the
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Cited by (0)
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This study was supported by grant HL38429 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Maryland.