Risk factors and inflammatory markers in acute coronary syndrome-ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Objectives: The increasing prevalence of coronary artery disease [CAD] poses worrying statistics. Atherosclerosis of coronary vessels is the main culprit for the spectrum of CAD especially acute coronary syndrome. Atherosclerosis is regarded as a consequence of inflammatory changes in the coronaries. Our study aimed to assess the role of risk factors and inflammatory markers with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction [STEMI].

Methods: 100 patients with ST-elevation Myocardial infarction [STEMI] and 100 age and sex matched controls were included in the study. A history of risk factors like smoking, hypertension, diabetes and hypertension was noted. A venous blood sample was obtained for analysis of inflammatory markers. The data thus obtained was statistically analyzed.

Results: The cases had a significant number of risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus, previous history of CAD, increased body mass index [BMI], and raised high sensitive C-reactive protein [hs-CRP]. Patients with anterior myocardial infarction were older and had hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Patients with inferior myocardial infarction had high BMI, raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate [ESR] and alcoholism. Smokers, patients with diabetes mellitus, high total cholesterol, Low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol, and hs-CRP were more prone to complications.

Conclusions: Patients with a greater number of risk factors and raised inflammatory markers were at high risk of STEMI and its complications. An approach to control the modifiable risk factors like obesity and lifestyle changes can reduce the disease burden.