Acute coronary syndrome in young (≤45 years) patients: An observational study

Background: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is witnessing a demographic transition with increasing prevalence among younger individuals (<= 45 years). Hence, this study was designed to evaluate the clinical features, risk factors, and angiographic profile of young (aged <= 45 years) patients with ACS and to compare it with the older (aged >45 years) patients with ACS. Materials and Methods: An observational study was conducted at a tertiary care center in India from July 2020 to December 2021. A total of 157 patients were enrolled, among which 90 patients were included in cases (group-I). The inclusion criteria were patients presenting with ACS aged between 18 and 45 years. There were two control groups, including 34 patients with ACS (aged >45 years) in Group II and 33 healthy volunteers in Group III (aged 18-45 years). Baseline demographic details, risk factors, and angiographic profile of patients with ACS in each group were recorded and compared. Results: Mean age of Group I was 39.79 +/- 5.15 years and of Group II was 59.74 +/- 8.21 years. Smoking (P = 0.027) and family history of coronary artery disease (P = 0.022) were the significant risk factors of ACS in Group I. Compared to non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (16.7%), ST-elevation myocardial infarction (83.3%) was predominant among younger patients with ACS. Single-vessel disease was prevalent among younger patients (62.2%) as compared to older patients with ACS (41.20%). Conclusion: Younger patients with ACS exhibited a distinct clinical and angiographic profile compared to older patients with ACS.