Clinical and angiographic characteristics of young Egyptian women with acute coronary syndromes

Introduction: Although acute coronary syndrome (ACS) mainly occurs in individuals >50years, younger adults can be affected as well. Young patients represent 2-10% of patients with ACS, most of them are men while women constitute about 25% of this population. Methods : Patients with ACS <45years were included and were subjected to history taking, clinical examination, ECG, echocardiogram, and lab investigations including cardiac enzymes, renal functions, complete blood count, lipid profile, blood sugar, complete liver functions. Invasive management or medical management was determined depending on the diagnosis of the patient, his condition and the decision of the attending physician. For patient who underwent coronary angiography, decision of PCI and stenting and whether culprit lesion or complete revascularization was left for the operator. Results : The study included 306 men and 92 women. There was no significant difference regarding hypertension, dyslipidemia, family history of ischaemic heart disease or chronic kidney disease. Diabetes was significantly higher in women (40.2%) and body mass index was higher in women while smoking was significantly higher in men (66%). STEMI was more in men and unstable angina more in women. Conclusion : In Egyptian women with ACS, they have more incidence of diabetes and higher BMI compared to men with less incidence of smoking. They present more with unstable angina compared to more STEMI in men.