Linking the Hungarian Myocardial Infarction Registry with the HCSO mortality and NTCA tax and contribution declaration databases
Released: 22 April 2026
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 and covers patients treated for myocardial infarctions and all acute myocardial infarctions detected by healthcare providers.
In our experimental statistics, we linked the HUMIR data to the mortality database of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (HCSO) and to the tax and contribution declaration data of the National Tax and Customs Administration (NTCA). The aim of the data linkage was to provide additional information – beyond the standalone data of the registry – about the short- and medium-term survival of patients who had suffered a myocardial infarction, as well as their labour market chances.
Key data of the Hungarian Myocardial Infarction Registry
In 20241, the total number of confirmed myocardial infarction cases was 13,390, corresponding to 12,980 treated patients. Due to the accumulation of cases during the year, 237 patients (1.8%) were treated twice, 15 patients (0.1%) three times, and 3 patients four times for myocardial infarction.
Nearly two-thirds of the patients were male (8,102 individuals). According to age group distribution, the majority of patients treated for myocardial infarction belonged to the 60–79 age group (54%), while 17% were aged 80 years or older. The proportion of patients under 40 years of age remained low within the total patient population. It was rare for both sexes to have a myocardial infarction at a young age; however, the youngest patient was only 18 years old at the time of admission to hospital.
A statistically significant association was observed between patients’ sex and age: older age groups were overrepresented among women compared to men, whereas among those under 60 years of age, the proportion of men was higher.
Figure 1
Mortality following myocardial infarction
In 2024, 16% (2,115 individuals) of the 12,980 patients treated for myocardial infarction died within 180 days of their first known hospital admission. Fifteen percent of deaths occurred on the day of hospital admission, and more than half within ten days, indicating that the period immediately following myocardial infarction is particularly high-risk.
One of the key indicators of treatment effectiveness is the proportion of deaths within 30 days. Approximately 70% (1,483 individuals) of those who deceased within 180 days died within this period. No meaningful differences were observed between men and women in terms of the proportions of deaths within 10 and 30 days.
Figure 2
The mortality rate within 180 days was 14% among men and 19% among women; this difference was primarily attributable to the higher age at which myocardial infarctions typically occurred among women. Overall, the older the patient is, the higher the likelihood of death is within six months following myocardial infarction; however, irrespective of age, men were slightly more at risk than women.
Figure 3
Labour market situation
The labour market activity of individuals under the age of 65 who were treated for myocardial infarction (3,269 individuals) was tracked from the month preceding hospital admission to the sixth month after admission. The proportion of those working for the whole month was the highest in the month preceding the myocardial infarction (three-quarters of them), and then it dropped significantly in the first month following hospitalisation (to 23%). This was followed by a gradual increase, and by the sixth month, slightly more than half of the affected individuals (56%) were again working for the whole month. The proportion of partial employment was primarily high in the first month (36%), after which it declined in parallel with the increase in full-month employment.
Given that the majority took sick leave or other forms of absence in the first month, the proportion of employees on sick leave peaked in the second month after admission (28%), and then it gradually decreased to 12% by the end of the sixth month.
Figure 4
During the month preceding the myocardial infarction, one-fifth of the observed individuals2 (3,236 persons) had no earnings, while one-third had a net income exceeding 300,000 forints. The median net income in this month was 217,000 forints (in December 2024, the national average net income was 484,000 forints, while the median net income was 390,000 forints).
Following hospital admission, the proportion of individuals without earnings3 increased significantly in the first two months (to 36% and 46%, respectively), and then it declined somewhat, but still exceeded one-third by the sixth month.
In connection with income losses due to illness, by the sixth month, 57% of patients had earnings that reached their pre-infarction level. After the initial decline in the first month following admission, between 0.5% and 8% of all patients regained their original level of income in each of the subsequent months.
The shift in the income distribution was primarily reflected in an increase in the proportion of lower-income categories and a decrease in the share of middle-income groups. The evolution of median income clearly reflects the substantial income loss in the first months following myocardial infarction; despite subsequent increases, it had not fully recovered by the end of the observation period, reaching only 60% of the pre-disease level by the sixth month.
Figure 5
Footnotes
-
As of the end of April 2025, based on the Hungarian Myocardial Infarction Registry. ↩
-
According to the earnings statistics data linked to the registry records, 62% 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 3,236 individuals. ↩
-
Persons who received sick pay for the whole month or were no longer employed in that month. ↩
Released: 22 April 2026
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 and covers patients treated for myocardial infarctions and all acute myocardial infarctions detected by healthcare providers.
In our experimental statistics, we linked the HUMIR data to the mortality database of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (HCSO) and to the tax and contribution declaration data of the National Tax and Customs Administration (NTCA). The aim of the data linkage was to provide additional information – beyond the standalone data of the registry – about the short- and medium-term survival of patients who had suffered a myocardial infarction, as well as their labour market chances.
Key data of the Hungarian Myocardial Infarction Registry
In 20241, the total number of confirmed myocardial infarction cases was 13,390, corresponding to 12,980 treated patients. Due to the accumulation of cases during the year, 237 patients (1.8%) were treated twice, 15 patients (0.1%) three times, and 3 patients four times for myocardial infarction.
Nearly two-thirds of the patients were male (8,102 individuals). According to age group distribution, the majority of patients treated for myocardial infarction belonged to the 60–79 age group (54%), while 17% were aged 80 years or older. The proportion of patients under 40 years of age remained low within the total patient population. It was rare for both sexes to have a myocardial infarction at a young age; however, the youngest patient was only 18 years old at the time of admission to hospital.
A statistically significant association was observed between patients’ sex and age: older age groups were overrepresented among women compared to men, whereas among those under 60 years of age, the proportion of men was higher.
Mortality following myocardial infarction
In 2024, 16% (2,115 individuals) of the 12,980 patients treated for myocardial infarction died within 180 days of their first known hospital admission. Fifteen percent of deaths occurred on the day of hospital admission, and more than half within ten days, indicating that the period immediately following myocardial infarction is particularly high-risk.
One of the key indicators of treatment effectiveness is the proportion of deaths within 30 days. Approximately 70% (1,483 individuals) of those who deceased within 180 days died within this period. No meaningful differences were observed between men and women in terms of the proportions of deaths within 10 and 30 days.
The mortality rate within 180 days was 14% among men and 19% among women; this difference was primarily attributable to the higher age at which myocardial infarctions typically occurred among women. Overall, the older the patient is, the higher the likelihood of death is within six months following myocardial infarction; however, irrespective of age, men were slightly more at risk than women.
Labour market situation
The labour market activity of individuals under the age of 65 who were treated for myocardial infarction (3,269 individuals) was tracked from the month preceding hospital admission to the sixth month after admission. The proportion of those working for the whole month was the highest in the month preceding the myocardial infarction (three-quarters of them), and then it dropped significantly in the first month following hospitalisation (to 23%). This was followed by a gradual increase, and by the sixth month, slightly more than half of the affected individuals (56%) were again working for the whole month. The proportion of partial employment was primarily high in the first month (36%), after which it declined in parallel with the increase in full-month employment.
Given that the majority took sick leave or other forms of absence in the first month, the proportion of employees on sick leave peaked in the second month after admission (28%), and then it gradually decreased to 12% by the end of the sixth month.
During the month preceding the myocardial infarction, one-fifth of the observed individuals2 (3,236 persons) had no earnings, while one-third had a net income exceeding 300,000 forints. The median net income in this month was 217,000 forints (in December 2024, the national average net income was 484,000 forints, while the median net income was 390,000 forints).
Following hospital admission, the proportion of individuals without earnings3 increased significantly in the first two months (to 36% and 46%, respectively), and then it declined somewhat, but still exceeded one-third by the sixth month.
In connection with income losses due to illness, by the sixth month, 57% of patients had earnings that reached their pre-infarction level. After the initial decline in the first month following admission, between 0.5% and 8% of all patients regained their original level of income in each of the subsequent months.
The shift in the income distribution was primarily reflected in an increase in the proportion of lower-income categories and a decrease in the share of middle-income groups. The evolution of median income clearly reflects the substantial income loss in the first months following myocardial infarction; despite subsequent increases, it had not fully recovered by the end of the observation period, reaching only 60% of the pre-disease level by the sixth month.
Footnotes
-
As of the end of April 2025, based on the Hungarian Myocardial Infarction Registry. ↩
-
According to the earnings statistics data linked to the registry records, 62% 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 3,236 individuals. ↩
-
Persons who received sick pay for the whole month or were no longer employed in that month. ↩