Medication persistence and mortality in ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients with and without standard modifiable risk factors: a SWEDEHEART registry study.

Authors

Suzanne R Avis, Nermin Hadziosmanovic, Michael P Gray, Stephen T Vernon, Thomas Buckley, Margrét Leósdóttir, Joakim Alfredsson, Clara K Chow, Emil Hagstrom, Gemma A Figtree

Published in

European journal of preventive cardiology. Sep 01, 2026. Epub Sep 01, 2026.

Abstract

We examine persistence with secondary prevention medication and longer-term mortality in a population-level cohort of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients with and without standard modifiable cardiovascular risk factors (SMuRFs; hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolaemia, smoking).
We utilized landmark analysis to study 65 059 first-time STEMI patients from the SWEDEHEART registry who were prescribed aspirin, lipid-lowering therapy (LLT), renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitors, or beta-blockers at hospital discharge. Persistence was assessed as a binary variable in patients alive 12 months after first dispensation (initiation, the landmark). The primary outcome was all-cause mortality 3 years after the 12-month landmark. Multivariable logistic regression models and Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to compare persistence, and Cox proportional hazards models to assess the impact of persistence on mortality. At 4 years after pharmacotherapy initiation, >50% of patients had discontinued prescribed aspirin, LLT, RAAS inhibitor, or beta-blocker. SMuRF-less patients were less likely to receive medications at hospital discharge; however, if prescribed, they were more likely to be persistent with aspirin and LLT at 12 months compared to SMuRF-positive patients. Discontinuing aspirin, LLT, or RAAS inhibitors within 12 months after initiation was associated with increased all-cause mortality 3 years later in both groups (HR between 1.45 and 2.02). Beta-blocker discontinuation was not associated with mortality in either group.
Persistence with secondary prevention medication declined rapidly in this cohort. The increased longer-term mortality associated with 12-month non-persistence highlights the need to better understand drivers of medication discontinuation, and to work with patients and clinicians to support consistent use of guideline-recommended medications, regardless of risk factor status.

PMID:
42678075
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 01 Sep 2026.

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