This thesis aims to describe the initial phase of an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in overall terms from a national perspective and to evaluate the impact of an information campaign designed to inform the public about how to act when suspecting an ACS. A total of 1939 patients at 11 hospitals in Swedenwith diagnosed ACS and symptom onset outside hospital completed a questionnaire(I-IV).In Study V, a questionnaire was completed by 116 patients withACS before the campaign and 122 after it. Register data were followed every year to evaluate ambulance use and emergency department (ED) visits. With regard to symptoms, patients with ST-elevation ACS (STE-ACS) more frequently had associated symptoms and pain with an abrupt onset reaching maximum intensity within minutes. However, fewer than half the patients with STE-ACS had this type of symptom onset. There were more similarities than differences between genders and differences between age groups were minor (I). Three-quarters of the patients interpreted the symptoms as cardiac in origin. The majority contacted a family member after symptom onset, whereas few called directly for an ambulance. Approaching someone after symptom onset and the belief that the symptoms were cardiac in origin were factors associated with a shorter pre-hospital delay (II). Half the patients went to hospital by ambulance. Independent factors for ambulance use were knowledge of the importance of quickly seeking medical care and calling for an ambulance when experiencing chest pain, severe symptoms, abrupt onset of pain, STE-ACS, increasing age and distance to hospital of > 5 km. Reasons for not calling for an ambulance were thinking self-transport would be faster or not being ill enough (III). Pain with abrupt onset, STE-ACS, symptoms such as vertigo or near syncope, experiencing the pain as frightening, interpreting the pain as cardiac in origin and knowledge were major factors associated with a short delay between symptom onset and decision to seek medical care, patient decision time (IV). The information campaign did not result in a reduction in patient decision time, but it appeared to increase ambulance use and the number of patients seeking the ED for acute chest pain (V).

Despite several investigations and interventions aimed at decreasing the time from symptom onset to medical care seeking in acute myocardial infarction patients, the delay time is still too long for best treatment outcomes. In this thesis, investigations aimed at improving our understanding of the factors influencing delay time are evaluated, as well as attitudes to medical care seeking in patients, relatives and the general public. Additionally, an evaluation was performed to examine whether health-related quality of life had any influence on delay time and re-admissions. Participating patients, relatives and representatives of the general public were generally knowledgeable about acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and its symptomatology. The majority of participants knew about the importance of receiving fast treatment when an AMI occurs. Despite people’s knowledge, several patients and relatives felt uncertain of symptom origin and how to act at symptom onset. Patients commonly consulted an additional person when symptoms did not disappear. However, people appeared to act more appropriately if someone else had chest pain compared to self-experienced symptoms. In patients who had suffered from more than one AMI, poor total health status increased the risk of delaying for more than two hours, but no independent association was found between total health status and re-admissions within the first year post-AMI.

Background: In Myocardial infarction (MI) it is well established that timely diagnosis and treatment may reduce mortality and improve the prognosis. Therefore it is important that patients with MI seek medical care as soon as possible. Patients with diabetes have a higher risk for MI and worse prognosis compared to patients without diabetes. Previous research is inconclusive regarding symptoms and pre-hospital delay times in MI among patients with diabetes and there is lack of research in how patients with diabetes perceive, interpret and respond to MI symptoms.  Aim: The overall aim of this thesis was to explore symptoms and care seeking behaviour during MI in patients with diabetes.  Methods: This thesis comprises four studies. Studies I and II were based on data from the Northern Sweden MONICA myocardial infarction registry to describe symptoms in 4028 patients (I) and pre-hospital delay and factors associated with pre-hospital delay of ≥ 2 h in 4266 patients (II). Study III included 694 patients, at five hospitals in Sweden. The patients answered a questionnaire about symptoms, response to symptoms and delay times in MI. In study IV data were collected through interviews about experiences of getting MI and the decision to seek medical care.  Results: Study I showed that typical MI symptoms according to MONICA criteria were common in both men and women, both with and without diabetes, and no differences between the groups were found. Study II showed that more patients with diabetes had pre-hospital delay times of ≥ 2 h compared to patients without diabetes. In Study III, chest pain was the most common self-reported MI symptom in patients with and without diabetes and there were no differences between the groups. Shoulder pain/discomfort, shortness of breath and tiredness were more common in patients with diabetes whereas cold sweat was less common compared to patients without diabetes. Less than 40 % of patients with diabetes called the emergency medical services (EMS) as their first medical contact (FMC) and about 60 % initially contacted a spouse after symptom onset. Patients with diabetes reported longer patient delay than patients without diabetes, but after age and gender adjustments the results were not significant. Pain, pressure or discomfort in the stomach, anxiety, symptoms that come and go and thoughts that the symptoms would disappear were associated with longer patient delay in patients with diabetes. In study IV, the analysis revealed the core category “Becoming ready to act” and the categories perceiving symptoms, becoming aware of illness, feeling endangered, and acting on illness experience. Patients with diabetes described a variety of different MI symptoms, the onsets of MI varied and it was sometimes difficult to interpret symptoms as related to MI. The decision to seek medical care for MI was complex with several barriers for timely care seeking.  Conclusion: Chest pain was common in patients with diabetes and in contrast to our hypothesis chest pain was equally common in both patients with and without diabetes. There were more similarities than differences in MI symptoms between patients with and without diabetes. However, patients with diabetes were more likely to have pre-hospital delay for 2 hours or more compared to those without diabetes and there seems to be an underutilization of the use of emergency medical services as first medical contact. The process to seek care for MI was complex, initiated by perceiving symptoms, followed by illness awareness, feelings of being endangered and finally acting on the illness experience. / Bakgrund: Vid hjärtinfarkt är det sedan tidigare väl känt att snabb vård och behandling är viktigt för att förbättra prognosen. Det är därför av stor vikt att patienter med hjärtinfarkt söker vård så snart som möjligt efter att symtomen startat. Patienter med diabetes löper större risk att drabbas av hjärtinfarkt och prognosen efter en hjärtinfarkt är sämre än för patienter utan diabetes. Tidigare forskning har varit ofullständig när det gäller symtom och fördröjning att söka sjukvård vid hjärtinfarkt hos patienter med diabetes. Det saknas också forskning om hur patienter med diabetes uppfattar, tolkar och agerar vid symtom på hjärtinfarkt.  Syfte: Det övergripande syftet med föreliggande avhandling var att utforska symtom och hur man agerar vid hjärtinfarkt hos patienter med diabetes.  Metod: Avhandlingen består av fyra delstudier. Studie I och II baseras på data från norra Sveriges MONICA-hjärtinfarktregister för att beskriva symtom hos 4028 patienter samt pre-hospital fördröjning och faktorer som har samband med fördröjning hos 4266 patienter. Studie III inkluderade 694 patienter från 5 sjukhus i Sverige som alla besvarade en enkät om symtom, agerande och fördröjningstider vid hjärtinfarkt. I studie IV samlades data in via intervjuer som handlade om upplevelsen av att drabbas av hjärtinfarkt och beslutet att söka medicinsk vård.  Resultat: Studie I visade att typiska hjärtinfarktsymtom enligt MONICA kriterier var vanliga hos både män och kvinnor, med och utan diabetes och ingen skillnad mellan grupperna kunde påvisas. Studie II visade att en större andel av patienter med diabetes jämfört med patienter utan diabetes hade pre–hospital fördröjning ≥2 timmar. I studie III var bröstsmärta det vanligaste hjärtinfarktsymtomet hos patienter med diabetes och det var ingen skillnad jämfört med patienter utan diabetes. Smärta/obehag i skulderpartiet, andningsbesvär och trötthet var vanligare hos patienter med diabetes medan kallsvett var mindre vanligt i jämförelse med patienter utan diabetes. Mindre än 40 % av patienterna med diabetes kontaktade SOS alarm som första kontakt med sjukvården och ungefär 60 % kontaktade initialt en partner efter symtomdebut. Patienter med diabetes rapporterade längre fördröjningstider jämfört med patienter utan diabetes, men efter justeringar för ålder och kön var skillnaden inte signifikant. Smärta obehag eller tryck i magen, ångest, intermittenta symtom samt att man trodde att symtomen skulle gå över hade samband med längre patientfördröjning hos patienter med diabetes. I studie IV resulterade analysen i kärnkategorin ”Att bli redo att agera” och kategorierna att uppleva symtom, inse att man är sjuk, känna ett hot och agera utifrån upplevelsen. Patienter med diabetes beskrev en mängd olika hjärtinfarktssymtom, debuten av symtom varierade och det var ibland svårt att tolka symtomen som hjärtinfarkt. Beslutet att söka vård vid hjärtinfarkt var komplext och beslutet fördröjdes på grund av flera barriärer.  Slutsats: Sammanfattningsvis var bröstsmärta vid hjärtinfarkt vanligt och i motsats till vår hypotes lika vanligt hos patienter med som utan diabetes. Det fanns fler likheter än skillnader i hjärtinfarktsymtom mellan grupperna, Patienter med diabetes hade dock längre pre-hospital fördröjning jämfört med patienter utan diabetes. Trots betydelsen av snabb medicinsk vård vid hjärtinfarkt underutnyttjades SOS alarm som första medicinska kontakt. Processen att söka vård för hjärtinfarkt var komplex. Den började med upplevelsen av symtom, följt av insikten att man är sjuk, att man känner ett hot och slutligen agerar utifrån upplevelsen av sjukdom.

BackgroundThe prompt seeking of medical care after the onset of symptoms suggestive of acute coronary syndromes (ACS)/acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is associated with the receipt of coronary reperfusion therapy, and effective cardiac medications in patients with an ACS/AMI and is crucial to reducing mortality and the risk of serious clinical complications in these patients. Despite declines in important hospital complications and short-term death rates in patients hospitalized with an ACS/AMI, several patient groups remain at increased risk for these adverse outcomes, including women and the elderly. However, recent trends in age and sex differences in extent of pre-hospital delay, hospital management practices, and short-term outcomes associated with ACS/AMI remain unexplored. The objectives of this study were to examine the overall magnitude, and changing trends therein, of age and sex differences in duration of pre-hospital delay (1986-2005), hospital management practices (1999-2007), and short-terms outcomes (1975-2005) in patients hospitalized with ACS/AMI. MethodsData from 13,663 residents of the Worcester, MA, metropolitan area hospitalized at all greater Worcester medical centers for AMI 15 biennial periods between 1975 and 2005 (Worcester Heart Attack Study), and from 50,096 patients hospitalized with an ACS in 106 medical centers in 14 countries participating in the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) between 2000 and 2007 were used for this investigation. Results In comparison with men years, patients in other age-sex strata exhibited significantly longer pre-hospital delay, with the exception of women < 65 years; had a significantly lower odds of receiving aspirin, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), beta blockers, statins, and undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) surgery or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and were significantly more likely to develop atrial fibrillation, cardiogenic shock, heart failure, and to die during hospitalization and in the first 30 days after admission. There was a significant interaction between age and sex in relation to the use of several medications and the development of several of these outcomes; in patients Conclusions Our results suggest that the elderly were more likely to experience longer prehospital delay, were less likely to be treated with evidence-based treatments during hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome, and were more likely to develop adverse outcomes compared to younger persons. Younger women were less likely to be treated with effective treatments and were more likely to develop adverse outcomes compared with younger men while there was no sex difference in these outcomes. Interventions targeted at older patients, in particular, are needed to encourage these high-risk patients to seek medical care promptly to maximize the benefits of currently available treatment modalities. More targeted treatment approaches during hospitalization for ACS/AMI for younger women and older patients are needed to improve their hospital prognosis.