Jonge patiënten met een hartinfarct: meer leefstijl- en psychosociale risicofactoren

<sec><st>Introduction</st> <p>Ischaemic heart disease (IHD) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and poses an increasing public health challenge in India. The rising incidence of myocardial infarction, especially among younger individuals, is concerning.</p> </sec> <sec><st>Aim</st> <p>To compare cardiovascular risk factors, clinical presentation, angiographic patterns and reperfusion characteristics between younger and older adults presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).</p> </sec> <sec><st>Methods</st> <p>A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 260 patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital in South India with a first episode of STEMI. Participants were selected using convenience sampling and included 65 younger adults (&le;45 years) and 195 older adults (&gt;45 years) in a 1:3 ratio. Data were obtained through structured interviews and review of the medical records. Continuous variables were analysed using the Independent Student&rsquo;s t-test or Mann-Whitney U test, while categorical variables were assessed using the ² or Fisher&rsquo;s exact test. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed with results reported as ORs and adjusted ORs with 95% CIs.</p> </sec> <sec><st>Results</st> <p>The mean age was 40.14&plusmn;15.79 years in the younger group and 60.84&plusmn;8.25 years in the older group. Younger patients had a significantly higher male predominance, greater alcohol consumption, positive family history of premature cardiovascular disease, shorter sleep duration and higher anxiety scores. In contrast, older adults have a significantly higher prevalence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Multiple logistic regression revealed an increase in average sleep duration was associated with a 0.57-unit increase in the log-odds of being aged &gt;45 years. On the contrary, the anxiety score was inversely associated with older adults (&beta;=&ndash;0.10; AOR=0.90; 95% CI 0.82 to 0.99).</p> </sec> <sec><st>Conclusion</st> <p>Younger patients with acute STEMI exhibited an increased burden of modifiable lifestyle and psychosocial risk factors, emphasising the need for age-specific preventive interventions.</p> </sec>