Trends in Risk Factor Prevalence and Incidence of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Young Adults

BACKGROUND: Contemporary trends in traditional and nontraditional risk factors (RFs) among young adults with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are not well understood. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to determine differences and trends in the prevalence of traditional and nontraditional RFs among young and older adults hospitalized with incident AMI. METHODS: Incident AMI hospitalizations were analyzed from 2011 to 2021 from the National Inpatient Sample and stratified by age (young adults 18-54 years of age and older adults >54 years of age). Overall RF prevalence and trends in traditional (eg, hypertension) and nontraditional (eg, psychosocial factors) RFs were assessed. Subgroup analysis by sex and race/ethnicity was performed. RESULTS: < 0.050 for all). CONCLUSIONS: Young adults with AMI have a different and increasing burden of both traditional and nontraditional RFs compared to older adults. These findings could help guide strategies for primary prevention of AMI.