Predictive markers of occupational activity in 415 post myocardial infarction patients after one-year follow-up.

Predictors of work resumption in 415 patients (372 male and 43 female) one year after myocardial infarction were studied. Clinical data obtained during the hospital phase and during treatment in a specialized rehabilitation centre, and a questionnaire one year after MI were analysed. Significant negative factors for re-employment were complications during the acute phase of illness and post-infarction angina. An increased rate of re-employment was found in patients with a higher work tolerance in an exercise test at discharge from the rehabilitation centre and in patients who climbed to the second floor without symptoms one year after MI (P less than 0.001). Furthermore, patients who perceived their health more positively, and those of higher educational level were more likely to return to work. The motivation to resume work in patients of a higher educational level seems to be more prominent than in patients of a lower educational level. If treatment in a specialized rehabilitation centre started sooner, the rate of re-employment was better (P less than 0.001).