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Myocardial Infarction in the Younger Patient

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Management of Acute Coronary Syndromes

Part of the book series: Contemporary Cardiology ((CONCARD))

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Abstract

Coronary atherosclerosis in younger patients is quite common (1,2), and early evidence of this disease appears to be present in many, if not most, Americans by the age of 30 (3). Autopsy studies on casualties of both war and other trauma reveal early signs of atherosclerosis in up to 70% of individuals 30 yr old or younger, with significant flow-limiting stenoses in 10% (4). Recent intravascular ultrasound studies (IVUS) from cardiac transplant recipients also confirm these reports. In these studies, where the average donor age was 33.4 ± 13.2 yr, a remarkable 51.9% of the donor coronary arteries demonstrated IVUS evidence of atheroma when these arteries were examined soon after transplantation. Furthermore, in patients under the age of 20, an astonishing 17% had evidence of disease (5).

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Authors
  1. James C. Fang MD
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  2. Jorge Plutzky MD
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Cardiovascular Division, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Christopher P. Cannon MD (Associate Professor of Medicine) (Associate Professor of Medicine)

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Fang, J.C., Plutzky, J. (2003). Myocardial Infarction in the Younger Patient. In: Cannon, C.P. (eds) Management of Acute Coronary Syndromes. Contemporary Cardiology. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-351-4_22

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-351-4_22

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-309-1

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