Iran Journal of Nursing

  Background: Myocardial infarction is one of the most common causes of hospitalization in industrial countries, and the most common cause of myocardial infarction is the formation of thrombosis on atherosclerotic plaques. There are many risk factors which affect atherosclerosis formation process. It seems that sex plays an important role in development of myocardial infarction.

  Objective: To determine and compare myocardial infarction risk factors in women and men.

  Design: This was a case – control study.

  Sample: Using the consecutive sampling method, 250 women and 251 men suffering from myocardial infarction for the first time, admitted in Coronary Care Units (CCUs) were assigned to the case group while 249 and 248 respectively women and men in surgical units formed the control group.

  Result: Findings indicated that stress, positive family history, smoking, diabetese in women, meanwhile in men stress, positive family history, diabetese, smoking, were the major risk factors of myocardial infarction considering that the ratio of factors were stress (28/9) positive family history (21/9), smoking (12/9) and diabetes (12/23) in women, and for the opposite sex it was stress, (53/59) positive family history (30/75) diabetese (12/59) and smoking (11/3). It is revealed that the least important factor was inappropriate diet regimen in both sexes.

  Conclusion: Results showed that the most important risk factors for both sexes were stress, positive family history, smoking and diabetese. It is recommended to control these factors in order to prevent myocardial infarction which will result to a diminished direct and indirect costs of this disease.