Experimental statistics

Released: 14 February 2025

In Hungary, the Hungarian Myocardial Infarction Registry (hereinafter as HUMIR), operated by Gottsegen György National Institute of Cardiology, provides a comprehensive picture of the epidemiology of myocardial infarctions in Hungary and covers patients treated for myocardial infarctions and all acute myocardial infarctions detected by health care providers. In our experimental statistics, we linked the HUMIR to the mortality data collected by the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (HCSO) and to the tax and contribution declaration database of the National Tax and Customs Administration (NTCA) at the elementary level. The combined files provide missing information about patients' survival and labour market chances and their further life path.

In 2023, the total number of confirmed myocardial infarction cases was 13,889, which meant 13,512 patients treated. Of these patients, 62% (8,377 people) were men and their myocardial infarction occurred at an earlier age than in women. One third of them were under 60 years of age at the onset, more than 50% were aged 60-79 years and only 13% were older. As for women, the younger ones represented a much smaller proportion, and the oldest ones a significantly higher proportion. It was extremely rare for both sexes to have a myocardial infarction under 40 years of age, but the youngest person was only 20 years old at the time of admission to hospital.

In 2023, 18.5% (2,500 people) of the 13,512 patients with a myocardial infarction died within 180 days of their (first known) hospital admission. The six-month mortality rate was 16.8% for men and 21.2% for women, the difference being mainly due to myocardial infarctions occurring at an older age, and women suffering from more comorbidities. 13% of deaths within six months occurred on the day of hospital admission (day 0) and more than half within 11 days. This means that there is a steep decline in deaths occurring after a few days after the myocardial infarction.

Another important indicator of the effectiveness of the treatment of patients with myocardial infarction is the proportion of deaths within 30 days of hospital admission. In 2023, this period accounted for seven-tenths of all deaths within 180 days (1,728 people), and there was no trend-like difference between men and women in this regard.

During the month preceding the infarction, more than three-quarters of people aged under 65 who had an infarction (4,192 people) worked for the whole month. However, in the first month after the (first) hospital admission, only 29% were able to work yet, and after a slow, monotonous increase, the proportion of people working again reached 61% by the sixth month. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of people who survived the disease were still absent from work for the entire month at the end of the six months, eight times as many as in the month before the myocardial infarction.

The “other” type of activity was the most common during the first month after admission (35%), when employers reported absence from work for only part of the month. In the second month, however, the proportion of those absent from work for the whole month was the highest already (26%), reflecting the fact that a significant proportion of those affected had taken sick leave (or other types of leave and other types of absence) in the first month, and only applied for sick pay afterwardsDuring the first 15 working days of absence due to illness, the employee is entitled to sick leave per calendar year, which is paid by the employer. After the expiry of 15 days, the employee receives sick pay, which is financed by the government.^[1]. At the same time, from the third month onwards, a steadily increasing rate of dropout from the labour market can be observed, which is reflected in the extension of missing employer reports.

In the month before the myocardial infarction, more than a tenth of the observed populationAccording to the earnings statistics data linked to the registry records, 61% of the examined patient group had earnings in any month from month -1 to months 1-6 relative to hospital admission. The further research covered these 2,563 individuals.^[2] had no earnings in 2023, while 35% of them earned more than 300 thousand forints. The median net earnings were 200 thousand forints. (In December 2023, the national average net earnings were 436 thousand forints and the median net earnings were 312 thousand forints.)

In the context of sickness absence, the proportion of those without earningsPersons who received sick pay for the whole month or were no longer employed in that month.^[3] increased dramatically in the month following the myocardial infarction (from 16% to 36%) compared to the month before the myocardial infarction, and then a steady return towards the baseline can be observed, with almost three-quarters of the group having earnings in the 6th month.

In connection with the lost wages due to the disease, only 58% of people who had a myocardial infarction in the sixth month had earnings at pre-infarction levels. After a decline in the first month after hospital admission, 4-10% of all patients regained their original earnings each month. The median also indicates the sudden, large loss of earnings: their value fell to one third in the first month of the illness compared to the month before the illness, and then they followed a linear trend to reach 88% of the pre-infarction value by the end of the sixth month.

[1]:↑ During the first 15 working days of absence due to illness, the employee is entitled to sick leave per calendar year, which is paid by the employer. After the expiry of 15 days, the employee receives sick pay, which is financed by the government.

[2]:↑ According to the earnings statistics data linked to the registry records, 61% of the examined patient group had earnings in any month from month -1 to months 1-6 relative to hospital admission. The further research covered these 2,563 individuals.

[3]:↑ Persons who received sick pay for the whole month or were no longer employed in that month.

Methodology