Long-term prognosis and clinical characteristics of young adults (≤40 years old) who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention

BackgroundLimited data exist regarding the long-term prognosis of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in young adults. The aim of this study was to retrospectively assess the long-term clinical outcomes in young patients who underwent PCI.Methods and resultsBetween 1985 and 2011, 7649 consecutive patients underwent PCI, and data from 69 young adults (age ≤40 years) and 4255 old adults (age ≧65 years) were analyzed. A Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to determine the independent predictors of a composite endpoint that included all-cause death and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) during the follow-up period. The mean age of the 69 young patients was 36.1 ± 4.9 years, and 96% of them were men. Approximately 30% were current smokers, and their body mass index (BMI) was 26.7 ± 5.0 kg/m2. The prevalence of diabetes and hypertension was 33% and 48%, respectively. All patients had ≥1 conventional cardiovascular risk factor. At a median follow-up of 9.8 years, the overall death rate was 5.8%, and new-onset ACS occurred in 8.7%. Current smoking was an independent predictor of the composite endpoint (hazard ratio 4.46, confidence interval 1.08-19.1, p = 0.04) for young adults.ConclusionCurrent smoking and obesity (high BMI) are the important clinical characteristics in young Japanese coronary heart disease patients who undergo PCI. The long-term prognosis in young patients is acceptable, but current smoking is a significant independent predictor of death and the recurrence of ACS in young Japanese coronary heart disease patients who are obese.