In the course of nine years the authors investigated in 3570 patients hospitalized on account of acute coronary syndrome associations between unstable angina pectoris (UAP) and a acute myocardial infarction (NMI). A total of 1732 patients were admitted with UAP and 1912 patients were hospitalized on account of a NMI. In 74 patients admitted with UAP a NMI developed during hospitalization and 21 of them died from the complication of infarction. The risk of development of NMI was thus in patients admitted with UAP 4.3% and the probability of death was 1.2%. Statistical analysis did not reveal a different risk of development of infarction or death when comparing patients with UAP at rest or on exertion (p greater than 0.05). UAP preceded the development of NMI in 645 patients, i.e. in 33.7%. The great majority of infarctions (88.5%) developed in these patients before admission to hospital. The short-term prognosis of patients with UAP could thus be improved by earlier hospitalization.

Keywords: Aged; Angina, Unstable /complications/; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Myocardial Infarction /complications/; Prospective Studies