The Role of Influenza as a Trigger for Acute Myocardial Infarction: a Self-controlled Case Series Analysis of Linked Data From the Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project (MINAP) and the General Practice Research Database (GPRD)

This study will measure the incidence ratio for MI occurring in time periods after presentation with an acute respiratory illness compared to baseline time periods using the self-controlled case series method, with reference to the timing of the influenza season (defined by national virological and clinical surveillance data). It will also validate accuracy and completeness of information on MI in the GPRD using linked anonymised data from both MINAP and Hospital Episode Statistics.

This study is part of the CALIBER (Cardiovascular disease research using linked bespoke studies and electronic records) programme funded over 5 years from the NIHR and Wellcome Trust. The central theme of the CALIBER research is linkage of the Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project (MINAP) with primary care (GPRD) and other resources. The overarching aim of CALIBER is to better understand the aetiology and prognosis of specific coronary phenotypes across a range of causal domains, particularly where electronic records provide a contribution beyond traditional studies. CALIBER has received both Ethics approval (ref 09/H0810/16) and ECC approval (ref ECC 2-06(b)/2009 CALIBER dataset).