Acute myocardial infarction in young patients: etiology, risk factors, genetics

Czech version

Authors: O. Toman
Authors‘ workplace: Interní kardiologická klinika LF MU a FN Brno, pracoviště Bohunice
Published in: Kardiol Rev Int Med 2006, 8(1-2): 27-31
Category: Editorial

Overview

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) belongs to the most serious diagnoses of an epidemy of cardiovascular diseases. It affects in lower percentage even younger individuals. Aetiology of coronary occlusion in young patients is different from the usual scenario of coronary atherogenesis. Even individuals with angiographically normal coronary arteries are affected with AMI. specific risk factors including primary thrombophilia, genetic influences were documented. The most frequent cause of AMI in patients with macroscopic affection of coronary arteries is premature accelarated atherosclerosis. Short-term prognosis of these patients treated with primary coronary intervention is good. However, data on long-term prognosis are missing. Only small groups of young AMI patients from the 8th and 9th decade of 20th century were described and these patients were treated mainly conservatively or with thrombolysis. This paper summarizes the most frequent causes and risk factors of AMI in young patients including thrombophilias associated with arterial thrombosis and up to date known genetic disorders in the pathways of coronary atherogenesis and thrombosis.

Key words:
myocardial infarction – coronary artery disease - age – genetic risk - thrombophilia

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