Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in young patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction

Abstract

Background: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease influences young patients as well as the elderly. A large proportion of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) have metabolic syndrome (MS), although the frequency and association of its different components are not clear. To the best of our knowledge, there is no any study about the prevalence of MS among young patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We sought to determine the prevalence of MS in patients below 46 years of age who presented with STEMI and underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Methods: In the present prospective study, 141 consecutive patients with STEMI <46 years of age admitted to intensive coronary care unit. STEMI was defined according to the ESC guidelines for the management of acute myocardial infarction in patients presenting with ST-segment elevation. All patients were grouped presence of MS. In the second step, the components of MS were analyzed, excluding patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Results: The total prevalence of MS was 46.8% (n = 66). In MS group, the most frequent component of MS was low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels (84.8%), followed by elevated triglycerides (TGs) (78.1%). A total of 121 patients did not have DM and 51 (42.1%) of these patients presented with MS. Conclusions: The prevalence of MS in young patients with STEMI is high. Low HDL cholesterol (HDLc) concentrations and high TG levels are cardiovascular risk factors, regardless of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and they are found too often in our study. These results highlight the need to implement preventative strategies for reducing overall cardiovascular risk in young patients as well as elderly.