Stalled progress and emerging disparities in acute myocardial infarction mortality among U.S. older adults (> 65 Years) with renal failure, 1999-2023.

BACKGROUND

Older adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) experience disproportionately high mortality after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Contemporary national trends-and their variation across demographic and geographic strata remain poorly defined.

METHODS

Using the CDC WONDER Multiple Cause-of-Death files, we identified U.S. decedents ≥ 65 years in whom ICD-10 codes for AMI and renal failure appeared anywhere on the death certificate between 1999 and 2023. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRS) per 100,000 population were standardized to the 2000 U.S. census. Joinpoint regression quantified annual per cent change (APC) and inflexion points overall and by sex, race/ethnicity, census region, state, and urban-rural status.

RESULTS

Among 288,801 AMI-related renal-failure deaths, the AAMR fell from 42.1 in 1999 to 18.5 in 2023. Mortality declined steadily from 1999-2012 (APC - 3.39%; 95% CI - 4.25 to - 1.16) and more sharply from 2012-2015 (APC - 17.82%; 95% CI - 22.98 to - 6.99), but rose thereafter (2015-2023 APC + 3.01%; 95% CI - 0.21 to 16.30). Men carried persistently higher rates than women (overall AAMR 39.2 vs 21.2). Non-Hispanic Black adults had the greatest burden (AAMR 35.8), followed by non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native (34.7) and Asian/Pacific Islander patients (34.2); non-Hispanic White adults had the lowest (26.4). From 2020-2023, AAMRs rebounded across most groups and surged 85% among Asian/Pacific Islanders. Regionally, the South recorded the highest AAMR (28.8), and state-level rates ranged three-fold (Utah 14.5 to Rhode Island 43.0). Non-metropolitan counties consistently exceeded metropolitan areas (34.5 vs 28.1).

CONCLUSIONS

Two decades of improvement in AMI mortality among older adults with renal failure have stalled, with a worrisome upturn since 2015 and widening disparities by sex, race, geography, and rurality. These findings underscore the need for cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic-focused prevention, equitable access to acute cardiac care, and tailored post-AMI management to avert further excess deaths in this growing high-risk population.