Purpose: This study was conducted to examine and compare clinical manifestations and predicting factors for treatment-seeking delay among patients <65 and ≥65 yr with first-time acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: A total of 288 patients who were diagnosed with ACS were individually interviewed at C university hospital in G-city from November 2007 to December 2008. Results: Median pre-hospital delays for younger and older patients were 5 and 12 hr, respectively. Younger patients were more likely to be current smokers, heavy drinkers, obese, stressed, and have an unhealthy diet and family history, and to complain of chest pain, left shoulder and arm pain, perspiration, and nausea. Older patients were more likely to have hypertension and diabetes, and to complain syncope and dyspnea. Logistic regression analyses showed that after adjustment for age, gender and education, progressive onset of symptom and no attribution to cardiac problem significantly predicted pre-hospital delay ＞3 hr in both younger and older patients. Low perceived health status was a significant independent predictor in older patients only. Conclusion: Health care providers should be concerned with different manifestations between younger and older adults, and educate people at risk for heart attack about symptoms and actions to get immediate help.

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Comparison of Clinical Manifestations and Treatment-Seeking Behavior in Younger and Older Patients with First-time Acute Coronary Syndrome

Purpose: This study was designed to identify meaningful themes related to the recognition of lifestyle risk factors and barriers in seeking treatment following an acute event of first-time acute myocardial infarction. Methods: A methodological mixed method of thematic content analysis and a quantitative analysis was used. The sample consisted of 120 male patients out of 11 when lifestyle and psychosocial factors were included. From the interview data among the 70 patients delayed greater than three hours, thirty-five themes categorized into 12 main themes influenced the delayed decision which was identified according to personal-cognitive, socio-cultural, and contextual factors. Conclusion: Health care providers should consider these themes in designing individual interventions to make lifestyle changes and to facilitate more prompt decisions to seek care.

Perceptions of Barriers to Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Decision to Seek Treatment among Middle-aged Men with Acute Myocardial Infarction

Objectives We aimed to determine the level of awareness of myocardial infarction (MI) symptoms among the general public in Korea and identify factors affecting awareness of MI symptoms using data from the 2017 Korea Community Health Survey (KCHS). Methods This is a cross-sectional study using KCHS data. Based on five questions about MI symptoms, participants were divided into an awareness group (replied 'yes' to all five questions) and an unawareness group (replied 'no' or 'not sure' to at least one of five questions) for analysis. Results Of a total of 228,281 participants, 42.4% were aware of MI symptoms. There was a high level of awareness of chest pain and shortness of breath, but a low level of awareness of gastrointestinal symptoms and pain in the arm, shoulder, jaw, neck, and back. While women had a higher level of overall awareness relative to men, they showed a lower level of awareness regarding chest pain and discomfort. The factors affecting awareness of MI symptoms were gender, age, education level, occupation, smoking, drinking, physical inactivity, and cardiovascular disease risk factors. Conclusions In order to enhance awareness of MI symptoms among the general population, appropriate education and promotion efforts must be implemented based on gender, age, education level, and occupation. Moreover, active efforts by the government, educational institutions, and medical institutions are necessary to improve awareness of both typical and atypical MI symptoms. Furthermore, health policies to promote reduced smoking and drinking and increased physical activity, as well as continuous monitoring and management of individuals with cardiovascular disease risk factors, are required.

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Factors affecting awareness of myocardial infarction symptoms among the general public in Korea

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the cardiac knowledge and symptoms recognition between men and women with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: Cross-sectional survey research design and convenience sampling were used in this study. 64 men and 42 women from a university medical center were participated in this study. Data collection were used with self reported questionnaires and medical records. Results: There was no difference in cardiac knowledge by gender. Women marked the higher score in symptoms recognition than men. Significant gender differences were observed in the reports of several symptoms (headache, nausea, palpitation, hand paresthesia, and leg numbness) and with ACS. There was significant correlation between cardiac knowledge and symptom recognition on both men and women. Conclusion: These findings suggest that health care professionals should pay attention to the differences in clinical symptoms between women and men. Furthermore, tailored information about possible symptoms of coronary artery disease according to the patient’s gender is needed.

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Gender Differences in Cardiac Knowledge and Symptoms Recognition in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndromes

Purpose: This comparative descriptive study was to identify gender differences in delay seeking treatment and related experiences in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods: Ninety-seven participants were recruited from a tertiary hospital. Results: Mean age of 47 women was 71.5±13.3 while that of men was 55.0±10.9 (p<.001). More women lived alone and were jobless, less educated, and poorer than men. Men were likely to be ‘current smokers’ and drink alcohol, however viewed themselves healthier than women (p=.030). Women’s hospital stay was 9.23±21.04 days while men’s was 4.86±2.72 days (p=.014). More women had been diagnosed with hypertension (p=.040). Women appeared to report significantly less pain (6.46±3.1) than men (8.44±1.8). More men described their pain as sudden onset (p=.015) and chest pain as major symptom (p=.034) than women. More women were found alone upon onset of symptoms (p=.023) and had important reasons for delay seeking treatment (p=.021) than men. Median time from onset of symptoms to seeking medical service was 1.5 hours for men and 5.1 hours for women (p=.003). Median time taken from onset of symptoms to hospital for therapy was 3.5 hours for men and 9.1 hours for women (p=.019). Conclusion: This study findings that women reported less pain and delayed in seeking treatment, suggest needs for strategies targeting women at risk of AMI.

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Myung Ho Jeong

Papers

Decision Tree Model of Treatment-seeking Delay Among Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome