Heart Failure Complicating Acute Myocardial Infarction; Burden and Timing of Occurrence: A Nation‐wide Analysis Including 86 771 Patients From the Cardiovascular Disease in Norway (CVDNOR) Project

<jats:sec xml:lang="en"> <jats:title>Background</jats:title> <jats:p xml:lang="en"> Coronary heart disease ( <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CHD</jats:styled-content> ) represents often the underlying conditions for the development of heart failure ( <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HF</jats:styled-content> ). We aimed at exploring the burden and timing of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HF</jats:styled-content> complicating an acute myocardial infarction ( <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">AMI</jats:styled-content> ), using the total population of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">AMI</jats:styled-content> patients hospitalized during 2001–2009 in Norway. </jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec xml:lang="en"> <jats:title>Methods and Results</jats:title> <jats:p xml:lang="en"> A total of 86 771 patients with a first <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">AMI</jats:styled-content> during 2001–2009 and without previous <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HF</jats:styled-content> were identified in the “Cardiovascular Disease in Norway” project and followed until <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HF</jats:styled-content> development, death, or December 31, 2009. In 16 219 patients (18.7%), <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HF</jats:styled-content> was present on admission or developed during hospitalization for the incident <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">AMI</jats:styled-content> . <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HF</jats:styled-content> occurrence varied according to age (8.9%, 15.2%, and 25.6% among men and 10.2%, 16.8%, and 27.1% among women ages 25–54, 55–74, and 75–85 years). Among 63 853 patients discharged alive without <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HF</jats:styled-content> , 8058 (12.6%) were hospitalized with or died because of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HF</jats:styled-content> during a median follow‐up time of 3.2 years. <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HF</jats:styled-content> incidence rates ( <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">IRs</jats:styled-content> ) per 1000 person‐years during follow‐up were 31 (95% <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CI</jats:styled-content> , 30–32) for men and 46 (95% <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CI</jats:styled-content> , 44–47) for women ( <jats:italic>P</jats:italic> <0.01). <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">IR</jats:styled-content> s of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HF</jats:styled-content> were highest during the first 6 months of follow‐up, after which they leveled off and remained stable until the end of follow‐up. </jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec xml:lang="en"> <jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title> <jats:p xml:lang="en"> In this nation‐wide cohort study, we observed that <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">HF</jats:styled-content> remains a frequent complication of the first <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">AMI</jats:styled-content> ; both during the acute phase and shortly after the discharge from the hospital. </jats:p> </jats:sec>