The acute coronary syndrome has been responsible for a great number of deaths around the world, and in Brazil it presents a high prevalence, resulting in a necessary evaluation of its risk factors in the population. This research aims to describe the most prevailing risk factors in individuals with acute coronary syndrome through the literature. It is an integrative bibliographic and descriptive research with a qualitative approach, carried out from national articles published from 2013 to 2017, deriving from the electronic data basis BIREME, LILACS and SciELO, which deal with the present subject. The analysis of the studies shows that the most prevailing non-modifiable risk factors were age, male gender and family history. The modifiable risk factors were high blood pressure, diabetes, dyslipidemia, sedentariness, obesity and smoking. This study concludes that most part of the studied population with acute coronary syndrome suffers with a greater influence of modifiable risk factors. The most frequent ones were high blood pressure, followed by smoking. It is necessary that the healthcare professionals evaluate the most prevailing risk factors in the as-sisted population, in order to make an addressed and effective assistance.