ABSTRACT
Myocardial infarction There is only a small degree of risk associated with sex. According to a US study the relative risk of a myocardial infarct (MI) during the 2 hours following sexual activity was:3
All patients 2.5 (1.7-3.7)* Men 2.7 (1.8-4.0) Women 1.3 (0.3-5.2) Previous MI 2.9 (1.3-6.5) Sedentary life 3.0 (2.0-4.5) Physically active 1.2 (0.4-3.7)
The baseline absolute risk of an MI during normal daily life is low – one chance in a million per hour for a healthy adult and 10 chances in a million per hour for a patient with documented cardiac disease. Therefore, during the two hours post-sex, the risk increases to 2.5 in a million for a healthy adult and 25 in a million for a patient with documented cardiac disease; but, importantly, there is no risk increase in those who are physically active.
