Non-fatal Myocardial Infarction in Women Under 50 Years of Age, with Reference to Oral Contraceptive Use in Belgrade

Although it seems well established that women have an increased risk of myocardial infarction while taking oral contraceptives (OCs), and that the effect on the risk persists after discontinuation of long-term use [6], authors often conclude that these data should be replicated in other settings, because the background risk of that disorder and the distribution of factors predisposing to it vary appreciably in different parts of the world [7]. That is why we decided to do a small case control study of risk factors for myocardial infarction in our setting, with special reference to OC use. Our setting differs from western countries in that OC use is not so common: in Yugoslavia it rose from 2.5% in 1969 to 5.0% in 1978 in women of reproductive age (15–44). OC use in Belgrade falls into the same range.