2Department of Cardiology Meram Medical Faculty, Selçuk University, Konya, Turkey
3Department of Cardiology, Medical Faculty, Gazi University, Ankara
4Department of Cardiology, Meram Medical Faculty, Selçuk University, Konya
5Konya Üniversitesi Meram Tıp Fakültesi, Kardiyoloji Anabilim Dalı, Konya-Türkiye
6Gazi Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Kardiyoloji Anabilim Dalı, Ankara, Türkiye
7Department of Cardiology, Medical Faculty, Erciyes University, Kayseri
8Clinic of Cardiology, Dünya Hospital, Kayseri-Turkey
Abstract
Objective: There is not enough available data in our country about the prevalence of risk factors for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), which has the highest in-hospital mortality rate within subtypes of acute coronary syndromes. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of risk factors for STEMI in Central Anatolia, one of the regions with high risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional observational study included 1210 patients (962 men, 248 women) with the diagnosis of STEMI in 3 tertiary-medical centers in 3 cities in Central-Anatolia (Ankara, Konya, and Kayseri). Demographic characteristics (age, gender) and risk factors known to be traditional risk factors for CHD (history of hypertension (HT), diabetes mellitus (DM), smoking, and family history) were inquired and fasting blood samples within 24 hours from onset of STEMI were taken to analyze lipid levels. Patients were divided into 3 groups based on their ages: Group A - age ≤44 years; Group B - age 45-64 years; and Group C - age≥65 years. Prevalence of risk factors and differences within age-groups and genders were evaluated. Results: The mean age was 58±11 years (range 24-96 years). Although the percentage of female patients increased in relation to increasing age, 80% of the total patients were male. While prevalence of smoking and family history was observed to decrease with aging, there was a statistically significant increase in prevalence of HT and DM (p<0.001). Prevalence of smoking was the highest in young patients and males (p<0.001). Prevalence of HT and DM, on the other hand, was significantly higher in women than in men (p<0.001). Although the number of modifiable risk factors was found to be significantly smaller in men, male patients with STEMI were 8 years younger than females on average. Conclusions: The results of our study, in which modifiable risk factors and especially smoking were found to have a high prevalence in patients with STEMI living in Central Anatolia, suggested that most STEMI cases especially at younger ages might be prevented by the modification of these risk factors.