title: Myocardial infarction in young adults: risk factors, clinical characteristics and prognosis according to our experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Myocardial infarction is a relatively unusual phenomenon in young subjects. The aim if this work is to characterize the risk profile and factors influencing outcomes of these patients since it makes possible to manage prevention interventions.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined cardiovascular risk factors, clinical presentation, angiographic picture and outcome of a group of young patients hospitalized for a myocardial infarction. We enrolled 121 young patients consecutively admitted to our hospital for a myocardial infarction and examined them not only at the initial stage, but also after 3 months and one year; finally a long-term telephonic follow up was performed, when possible.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found some peculiarity making these patients quite different from the older ones who develop a myocardial infarction: cigarettes smoking, family history of ischemic heart disease and hyperlipidemia were the most frequent cardiovascular risk factors, while diabetes and hypertension were less represented; moreover coronary angiography showed more frequently a less extensive coronary atherosclerosis. Patients who developed a cardiovascular event at follow-up presented a significantly higher prevalence of hypertension and obesity and a significantly lower frequency of healthy coronary arteries and of previous revascularization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Myocardial infarction in young adults presents several peculiarities, represented not only by the risk profile, but also by the angiographic picture and the prognosis. Considering the long life expectancy of the involved population, the essential role of preventive interventions should be strongly underlined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal and Specialistic Medicine, University of Palermo, Palermo Italy. e.incalcaterra@email.it
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Incalcaterra
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caruso
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lo Presti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Caimi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult