RISK FACTORS ANALYSIS OF MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION IN YOUNG PATIENTS AND ITS COMPARISON WITH OLDER ONES: A STUDY IN A TERTIARY CARE CENTRE IN EASTERN INDIA.

Dr. Biswajit Majumder* and Dr. Sharmistha Chatterjee

ABSTRACT

Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of death in the world. Coronary artery disease in India has shown an increase in incidence and prevalence over the last thirty years. Coronary artery disease in the young, (below 40 years) is recognized with increasing frequency and is as high as 12% in India.[1,2] Myocardial infarction occurring in the patients below 40years of age is severe form of premature coronary artery disease and is usually massive resulting in high mortality and morbidity. Because most of these young myocardial infarction patients have premature atherosclerosis, they are ideal subjects to study the relative importance of various risk factors in the etiopathogenesis of myocardial infarction. The reason for this increased risk of myocardial infarction among young Indians in unclear. Prevalence of common risk factors is not higher in Indians than in other ethnic groups. High triglyceride concentrations, low concentration of high density lipoprotein cholesterol, increased visceral fat and insulin resistance are more common in Indians. Since most studies are based on migrants to western countries, these findings may not necessarily apply to the vast majority of Indians living in their own countries. So risk factors evaluation in Indian context may give added information for this increased risk. Keeping this idea in mind, we did a small retrospective comparative, hospital based case control study to evaluate the risk factors in this part of the country, so that an appropriate well designed preventive programme can be launched.

Keywords: Myocardial infarction, Young, Risk factors.