Introduction:

Although coronary disease continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the general population, little is known about the demographic and clinical characteristics, or the outcomes in elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome in the community.

Materials and method:

An observational, prospective, analytical cohort study was conducted on patients over 18 years of age with Non-ST Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome (NSTE-ACS). The characteristics of those over 65 years are described, as well as the relationships between age and clinical outcomes of a patient cohort with NSTE-ACS.

Results:

Out of a total of 507 patients, there were 277 (55%) aged ≥ 65 years. These had a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus, systemic arterial hypertension, and multiple vessel coronary disease. The clinical outcome endpoints that consisted of, time until death, non-fatal re-infarction, or cerebrovascular accident, were higher among those over 65 years-old (Hazard Ratio 1.80; 95% CI; 1.09 - 2.97), but the difference stopped being significant in the adjusted analysis (Hazard Ratio 1.39; 95% CI; 0.80 - 2.44).

Discussion:

The patients over 65 years-old with NSTE-ACS have characteristics similar to those reported in the literature in other countries. However, unlike that reported in the international literature, this study failed to show that being over 65 years is not an independent risk factor for adverse clinical outcomes in this population.

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