Not so Young at Heart: A Case Report of Acute Myocardial Infarction in a 23-year-old Young Adult

ABSTRACT

@#BACKGROUND. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) among young people is relatively uncommon. The protection offered by a young age has been slowly taken away by the increased prevalence of risk factors for CHD in adolescents such as smoking, obesity, and lack of physical activity. CASE. This is a case of a 23-year-old male smoker with no known comorbid and heredofamilial diseases who was admitted due to sudden onset of severe, stabbing, substernal chest pain. ECG was done which showed sinus rhythm with some premature ventricular depolarizations occurring in bigeminy, and ST elevation on V4-V6, I and AVL with reciprocal ST depression on III, AVF (Fig 2) consistent with extensive anterior wall myocardial infarction. Troponin I was elevated (7.57 ng/ml). Coronary angiography was done revealing a luminal filling defect at the distal segment of the left main artery consistent with thrombus formation. The patient underwent percutaneous coronary intervention of the left main artery and left anterior descending artery with TIMI III flow after the procedure. He was then discharged improved and was advised to take his home medications with good compliance CONCLUSION. MI in younger patients does carry a better prognosis if appropriately treated to be taken into consideration when treating these young adults presenting with MI. Emphasis on the importance of secondary preventive measures should be noted.