Active smoking is a well-known risk factor of myocardial infarction. Research carried out on the Maltese population has revealed that smokers run three times the risk of myocardial infarction compared with non-smokers. Stopping smoking reduces this risk, with ex-smokers having a lower risk of myocardial infarction compared with smokers. This risk goes on decreasing as more years pass since quitting.
Apart from active smokers, Maltese exposed to passive smoking in public areas or at home also have an increased risk of myocardial infarction. The risk is stronger in a home setting, where even periods of less than one hour of passive smoke exposure increase risk.
On the other hand, moderate alcohol consumption protects against myocardial infarction. However, this beneficial effect depends on the frequency of drinking. Daily binge drinkers have a risk of myocardial infarction five times higher when compared with individuals who drink moderate amounts of alcoholic beverages.
Similar to active smoking, diabetes mellitus is another strong risk factor of myocardial infarction among the Maltese.
A total of 14.2 per cent of the population are diabetic, out of whom 7.9 per cent fail to control their blood glucose levels. These uncontrolled diabetics have a myocardial infarction risk three times higher compared with non-diabetics.
On the other hand, diabetics with good glycaemic controls show no risk of myocardial infarction. The findings strongly indicate that controlling blood glucose levels eliminates the risk of myocardial infarction associated with diabetes. Despite population-wide free access to testing, an alarming 2.5 per cent of the Maltese have undiagnosed diabetes.
Those exposed to passive smoking in public areas or at home also have an increased risk of myocardiac infarction
The risk of myocardial infarction among these individuals is almost four times higher than that of non-diabetics.
These findings highlight the importance of early diagnosis and the benefits of better diabetes control, as such measures can overcome the impact of diabetes on the risk of myocardial infarction.
Both smoking and diabetes mellitus affect the inflammatory state. Based on these findings, further investigation on the impact of inflammation on the risk of myocardial infarction is being conducted.
Inheritance of inflammatory profiles within Maltese families is being investigated as part of the Next Generation Sequencing Project, funded through the national R&I programme (2012).
This research, presented by Ritienne Attard at the 82nd Congress of the European Atherosclerosis Society, focused on the Maltese Acute Myocardial Infarction Study, a collection of samples taken from around 1,000 Maltese. The study is a collaboration between the University of Malta and the Department of Health, under the co-ordination of Stephanie Bezzina Wettinger and supported by national funding through the R&I programme (2008), administered by the Malta Council for Science and Technology and various MGSS and STEPS scholarships.