Prognostic markers in young patients with premature coronary heart disease

Objectives: To evaluate the survival and prognostic implications of cardiovascular, inflammatory and prothrombotic risk factors in young patients with premature coronary heart disease (CHD). Methods: Follow-up data were obtained from 353 young patients with a first cardiac event (men <= 45 years and women <= 55 years). Baseline characteristics on traditional risk factors were collected at the time of the first event, and plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), von Willebrand Factor (VWF), and fibrinogen were measured one to three months after the first event to exclude an acute phase response. We performed age and sex adjusted Cox regression analyses to assess the relationship between these factors and recurrent events with three different endpoints: all cause mortality, recurrent cardiac event (myocardial infarction or revascularisation procedure), and any recurrent event (cardiac event, cerebrovascular event or all cause mortality). Results: During a total follow-up time of 1483 person years (mean 4.2 years), 11 patients died (3%), 42 patients had a recurrent cardiac event (12%), and 53 patients had any recurrent event (15%). CRP was associated with an increased risk of any recurrent event (HR 1.28[95% CI = 1.02-1.59] per unit increase in lnCRP). Also, both CRP (5.00[1.04-24.04]) and fibrinogen (5.04[1.05-24.23]) were associated with all cause mortality when levels were above the 50th percentile. Conclusions: Fifteen percent of young patients with a first cardiac event have a recurrent event or die within a median follow-up of 4.2 years. In these young patients we have shown that, independently of cardiovascular risk factors, high CRP levels contribute to the risk of recurrent events, including all cause mortality, and high fibrinogen levels are associated with all cause mortality. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.