Young Women With Acute Myocardial Infarction: Current Perspectives

Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2017 Feb;10(2):e003480. doi: 10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.116.003480. Epub 2017 Feb 22.

Abstract

In recent years, there has been growing public awareness and increasing attention to young women with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), who represent an extreme phenotype. Young women presenting with AMI may develop coronary disease by different mechanisms and often have worse recoveries, with higher risk for morbidity and mortality compared with similarly aged men. The purpose of this cardiovascular perspective piece is to review recent studies of AMI in young women. More specifically, we emphasize differences in the epidemiology, diagnosis, and management of AMI in young women (when compared with men) across the continuum of care, including their pre-AMI, in-hospital, and post-AMI periods, and highlight gaps in knowledge and outcomes that can inform the next generation of research.

Keywords: coronary artery disease; myocardial infarction; phenotype; prevalence.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Age Distribution
  • Age of Onset
  • Aged
  • Female
  • Health Status Disparities
  • Healthcare Disparities
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Myocardial Infarction* / diagnosis
  • Myocardial Infarction* / epidemiology
  • Myocardial Infarction* / therapy
  • Prevalence
  • Risk Factors
  • Time Factors
  • Treatment Outcome