NIGHT-TIME INFARCTION INCREASES THE RISK OF LEFT VENTRICULAR SYSTOLIC DYSFUNCTION

Abstract

Background- Diurnal variation in the onset of acute myocardial infarction has been ‎demonstrated with a peak in the morning. Few data are available about the occurrence ‎of left ventricular systolic dysfunction according to the time of infarct<br />‎ Methods and Results- We performed a prospective cohort study that included 100 ‎patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Left ventricular systolic dysfunction ‎‎(LVSD) was defined by echocardiography when ejection fraction (EF) was less than ‎‎55%. Of these patients, 72 (72%) had EF < 55%, and 37 of them experienced ‎myocardial infarction between 6 AM and 5:59 PM (group 1) and 63 (63%) ‎experienced their AMI between 6PM and 5:59 AM (Group 2). Left ventricular EF less ‎than 55% occurred in 22 (30.6%) patients of group 1 compared with 50 (69.4%) ‎patients in group 2 (p=0.04). Mild, moderate and severe LVSD were also more ‎frequent in group 2 patients (P=0.01).‎ ‎<br />‎ ‎ Conclusions- The risk of mild, moderate and severe left ventricular systolic ‎dysfunction after AMI is higher among infarctions that occur at night (Iranian Heart ‎Journal 2003; 4 (2, 3): 29 -33).‎