PREVALENCE OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS AMONG YOUNG PATIENTS WITH MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

Objective: To study the clinical and instrumental characteristics of myocardial infarction (MI) in young patients.Design and method: This retrospective study analyzed medical records of 105 patients aged 18–44 years diagnosed with MI and hospitalized at the City Cardiology Center between 2018 and 2022. The mean age was 36.7±4.4 years. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 12.0. Results: A high prevalence of risk factors was observed, with obesity being the most common (67.6%), more frequent in men (70.2%) than in women (63.6%). Grade I obesity was noted in 85.9% of cases, grade II in 12.8%, and grade III in 2.2%. The mean BMI was 29.1±4.9 kg/m2in men and 26.6±2.26 kg/m2in women; patients with type I MI had a higher BMI than those with type II MI (29.01±5.12 vs. 27.7±2.9 kg/m2). Hypertension was present in 51.4% of patients, more frequently in women (63.6% vs. 50%). Smoking was observed in 50.4%, and a positive family history in 20.9%. The most significant comorbid condition was pneumonia (19%), likely associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) was found in 11.4%, more frequently in type I MI (11.7% vs. 9%, p<0.05). Diabetes mellitus was diagnosed in 9.5%, more common in women (27.2% vs. 7.4%). Anemia was present in 6.6%, significantly more frequent in women (36.3% vs. 3.1%, p<0.05) and in type II MI (36.3% vs. 3.1%, p<0.05). According to the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), 75.2% of young patients had a low score (0–1 points), 20.9% had a moderate score (2–3 points), and 3.8% had a high score (>4 points). Three-vessel disease was significantly more frequent in patients with CCI >2 (30.8% vs. 10.1% in those with CCI 1, p=0.016), indicating more severe vascular involvement in patients with higher comorbidity scores. Conclusions: Young patients with myocardial infarction exhibit a high prevalence of traditional risk factors, with obesity, hypertension, and smoking being the most common. Obesity was more frequent in men, whereas hypertension and diabetes were more prevalent in women. Patients with type I MI had a higher BMI than those with type II MI.