Table 1
Baseline characteristics, clinical presentation, management and outcomes of patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction in Clinic of Cardiology, UCCK, Kosovo, 2014–2024.
| VARIABLE | OVERALL n = 13,0991 | 2014 n = 4181 | 2015 n = 8901 | 2016 n = 7851 | 2017 n = 1,4001 | 2018 n = 1,2411 | 2019 n = 1,4291 | 2020 n = 1,1841 | 2021 n = 1,5971 | 2022 n = 1,5391 | 2023 n = 1,3451 | 2024 n = 1,2711 | p-VALUE2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMI classification | <0.001 | ||||||||||||
| NSTEMI | 5,943 (45%) | 144 (34%) | 271 (30%) | 278 (35%) | 542 (39%) | 498 (40%) | 799 (56%) | 455 (38%) | 667 (42%) | 768 (50%) | 864 (64%) | 657 (52%) | |
| STEMI | 7,156 (55%) | 274 (66%) | 619 (70%) | 507 (65%) | 858 (61%) | 743 (60%) | 630 (44%) | 729 (62%) | 930 (58%) | 771 (50%) | 481 (36%) | 614 (48%) | |
| Mean age | 63.8 ± 11.5 | 62.5 ± 12.7 | 62.5 ± 11.0 | 62.4 ± 12.3 | 62.9 ± 11.3 | 63.5 ± 11.6 | 64.4 ± 11.9 | 62.9 ± 11.5 | 63.8 ± 11.0 | 64.5 ± 11.1 | 65.2 ± 11.6 | 64.8 ± 11.3 | <0.001 |
| Gender | <0.001 | ||||||||||||
| Female | 3,759 (29%) | 138 (33%) | 268 (30%) | 228 (29%) | 417 (30%) | 361 (29%) | 419 (29%) | 275 (23%) | 442 (28%) | 440 (29%) | 422 (31%) | 349 (27%) | |
| Male | 9,340 (71%) | 280 (67%) | 622 (70%) | 557 (71%) | 983 (70%) | 880 (71%) | 1,010 (71%) | 909 (77%) | 1,155 (72%) | 1,099 (71%) | 923 (69%) | 922 (73%) | |
| Smoking | 6,185 (48%) | 235 (56%) | 513 (58%) | 417 (53%) | 698 (50%) | 655 (53%) | 704 (49%) | 572 (48%) | 697 (45%) | 583 (46%) | 579 (43%) | 532 (42%) | <0.001 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 4,759 (36%) | 131 (31%) | 301 (34%) | 285 (36%) | 409 (29%) | 445 (36%) | 575 (40%) | 445 (38%) | 581 (36%) | 561 (36%) | 510 (38%) | 516 (41%) | <0.001 |
| Hypertension | 8,697 (66%) | 209 (50%) | 515 (58%) | 463 (59%) | 904 (65%) | 821 (66%) | 919 (64%) | 993 (84%) | 1,051 (66%) | 1,043 (68%) | 913 (68%) | 866 (68%) | <0.001 |
| Positive anamnesis for CVD | 5,207 (41%) | 129 (31%) | 309 (35%) | 232 (30%) | 517 (37%) | 457 (37%) | 608 (43%) | 544 (46%) | 669 (43%) | 594 (46%) | 581 (43%) | 567 (45%) | <0.001 |
| COPD | 431 (3.5%) | 27 (6.6%) | 37 (4.2%) | 21 (2.7%) | 31 (3.3%) | 57 (5.0%) | 67 (4.7%) | 37 (3.1%) | 36 (2.3%) | 30 (1.9%) | 50 (4.0%) | 38 (3.0%) | <0.001 |
| Hospitalization duration | 5.0 ± 4.4 | 4.7 ± 4.9 | 3.4 ± 3.9 | 3.5 ± 4.2 | 4.4 ± 4.1 | 5.4 ± 3.4 | 5.3 ± 3.7 | 5.1 ± 3.1 | 5.6 ± 4.8 | 6.1 ± 5.1 | 5.4 ± 5.4 | 4.8 ± 4.3 | <0.001 |
| Cardiogenic shock | 593 (4.5%) | 7 (1.7%) | 7 (0.8%) | 10 (1.3%) | 69 (4.9%) | 32 (2.6%) | 87 (6.1%) | 61 (5.2%) | 82 (5.1%) | 83 (5.4%) | 80 (5.9%) | 75 (5.9%) | <0.001 |
| LBBB | 434 (3.4%) | 10 (2.4%) | 26 (2.9%) | 10 (1.3%) | 31 (2.2%) | 26 (2.1%) | 140 (9.8%) | 27 (2.3%) | 33 (2.2%) | 46 (3.6%) | 39 (2.9%) | 46 (3.6%) | <0.001 |
| Ejection fraction (%) | 50.2 ± 9.0 | 52.4 ± 11.9 | 52.6 ± 9.7 | 51.5 ± 10.1 | 49.6 ± 10.0 | 50.5 ± 8.5 | 49.7 ± 8.9 | 50.6 ± 7.9 | 50.0 ± 8.7 | 48.6 ± 8.9 | 50.4 ± 8.2 | 50.3 ± 9.2 | <0.001 |
| Coronarography performed* | 8,677 (73%) | 86 (28%) | 343 (48%) | 230 (45%) | 586 (67%) | 997 (83%) | 981 (70%) | 923 (80%) | 1,282 (80%) | 1,148 (75%) | 1,054 (81%) | 1,047 (86%) | <0.001 |
| PPCI performed* | 6,595 (56%) | 62 (20%) | 190 (27%) | 117 (23%) | 419 (48%) | 788 (65%) | 771 (55%) | 740 (64%) | 942 (59%) | 823 (53%) | 855 (65%) | 888 (73%) | <0.001 |
| In-hospital mortality* | 1,081 (9.15%) | 59 (19.22%) | 77 (10.77%) | 59 (11.66%) | 90 (10.36%) | 120 (9.94%) | 139 (9.96%) | 104 (8.97%) | 132 (8.27%) | 104 (6.76%) | 103 (7.87%) | 94 (7.73%) | <0.001 |
| Referred outside UCCK | 1,279 (9.8%) | 111 (27%) | 175 (20%) | 279 (36%) | 531 (38%) | 34 (2.7%) | 34 (2.4%) | 24 (2.0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 36 (2.7%) | 55 (4.3%) | <0.001 |
[i] 1n (%); Mean ± SD.
2Pearson’s Chi-squared test; Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test.
Figure 1
Epidemiological trends of morbidity and mortality, age-sex distribution and main risk factors of patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction in Clinic of Cardiology, UCCK, Kosovo, 2014–2024.
Figure 2
Latent class-derived risk factor profiles among patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction in Clinic of Cardiology, UCCK, Kosovo, 2014–2024.
Figure 3
Eleven-year trend analysis and dynamics of AMI in Kosovo from 2014 to 2027; (A) Polynomial trend analysis of the number of AMI cases shows a rising pattern up to around 2021, followed by a decline; (B) Joinpoint regression analysis identified a statistically significant inflection point in 2017, where the increasing trend in case numbers plateaued; (C) Incidence per 100,000 population forecasting for the years 2025–2027 shows a continued decline, with 95% confidence intervals (shaded area).