BACKGROUND: Clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with myocardial infarction (MI) with nonobstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) are not fully understood, particularly in Japan. METHODS AND RESULTS: We enrolled a total of 8881 patients with acute MI from the Miyagi Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry Study (2012-2020), with a median age of 69 years. Among them, 239 patients (2.7%) were diagnosed with MINOCA. Compared with those with MI with obstructive coronary artery disease (MI-CAD), patients with MINOCA were more often women, had a higher incidence of non-ST-segment-elevation MI and a lower prevalence of dyslipidemia. Compared with patients with MI-CAD, patients with MINOCA in all age groups (<
59, 60-69, 70-79, >
80 years of age) had a higher incidence of non-ST-segment-elevation MI. Additionally, those ≤59 years of age were more often women and had a lower prevalence of diabetes and dyslipidemia. In-hospital mortality increased with age in patients with MI-CAD (3.9% for <
59 years of age, 5.6% for 60-69 years of age, 8.3% for 70-79 years of age, and 15.2% for >
80 years of age
CONCLUSIONS: Patients with MINOCA exhibit distinct clinical characteristics and outcomes compared with those with MI-CAD, particularly in terms of age, sex, prevalence of comorbidities, and in-hospital mortality. These findings underscore the importance of tailored clinical approaches for patients with MINOCA.