Obesity in the Development of Premature Coronary Artery Disease

Abstract

Objective: To explore the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and coronary artery disease (CAD) severity in young Puerto Rican adults who have suffered a myocardial infarction. Methods: A cross-sectional study examined adults aged 21 to 35 years who underwent left cardiac catheterization in the Cardiovascular Center for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean during 2008-2012 due to myocardial infarction. Demographic characteristics, clinical risk factors, and the extent of CAD were documented. Chi-square statistic or Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the distribution of demographic, clinical, and lifestyle characteristics across CAD extent. Polytomous logistic regression models were fitted to estimate the prevalence odds ratios (POR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for non obstructive and obstructive coronary disease (OCD) compared with normal coronary anatomy. Statistical analyses were performed using Stata 11.0. Results: Sixty-three (n=63) adults were evaluated (81% were men). The mean age was 31 ± 4 years. The most frequent clinical risk factors were history of tobacco use, hyper tension, and dyslipidemia. Obesity was present in 45.9% of subjects and OCD was present in 52.38% of subjects. Obesity and family history of CAD were significantly associated with OCD when adjusted by age. Obese patients had 5.94 times the possibility of having OCD than normal weight patients. Conclusion: Obesity was the most important treatable predictor of premature obstructive CAD in our young adult population.