A history of HT was found in 974 (42%) of 2329 patients and a history of DM in 446 (19%). Patients with DM or HT were older, more often female and more frequently had previous atherosclerotic manifestations. Patients with DM, irrespective of HT, had a higher prevalence of prior heart failure, as well as higher Killip class and heart rate at admission. Signs of myocardial ischemia on the admission electrocardiogram (ECG) were more prevalent without HT or DM. While HT was weakly associated with impaired long-term prognosis (HR 1.18; 95% CI 1.02–1.37), DM was a strong predictor of death (HR 1.79; 95% CI 1.52–2.10) and the combination was even additive (HR 2.10, 95% CI 1.71–2.57).