The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has a high burden of morbidity and mortality due to premature (≤55 years in men; ≤65 years in women) myocardial infarction (MI) and acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Despite this, the prevalence of risk factors in patients presenting with premature MI or ACS is incompletely described. We compared lifestyle, clinical risk factors, and biomarkers associated with premature MI/ACS in the MENA region with selected non-MENA high-income countries. We identified English-language, peer-reviewed publications through PubMed (up to March 2018). We used the World Bank classification system to categorize countries. Patients with premature MI/ACS in the MENA region had a higher prevalence of smoking than older patients with MI/ACS but a lower prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Men with premature MI/ACS had a higher prevalence of smoking than women but a lower prevalence of diabetes and hypertension. The MENA region had sparse data on lifestyle, diet, psychological stress, and physical activity. To address these knowledge gaps, we initiated the ongoing Gulf Population Risks and Epidemiology of Vascular Events and Treatment (Gulf PREVENT) case–control study to improve primary and secondary prevention of premature MI in the United Arab Emirates, a high-income country in the MENA region.

IntroductionPremature myocardial infarction (MI) generally refers to MI in men ≤55 years or women ≤65 years. Premature MI is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease (CVD), which claimed 17.6 million lives globally in 2016. Reducing premature MI and CVD is a key priority for all nations; however, there is sparse synthesis of information on risk factors associated with premature MI. To address this knowledge gap, we are conducting a systematic review to describe the association between risk factors (demographics, lifestyle factors and biomarkers) and premature MI.Methods and analysisThe following databases were searched from inception to June 2018: CENTRAL, CINAHL, Clinical Trials, EMBASE and MEDLINE. We will include original research articles (case–control, cohort and cross-sectional studies) that report a quantitative relationship between at least one risk factor and premature MI. Two investigators will use predetermined selection criteria and independently screen articles based on title and abstract (primary screening). Articles that meet selection criteria will undergo full-text screening based on criteria used for primary screening (secondary screening). Data will be extracted using predetermined data extraction forms. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for case–control and cohort studies will be used to evaluate the risk of bias and will be adapted for cross-sectional studies. Whenever feasible, data will be summarised into a random-effects meta-analysis.Ethics and disseminationTo our knowledge, this will be the first study to synthesise results on the relationship between risk factors and premature MI. These findings will inform healthcare providers on factors associated with risk of premature MI and potentially improve primary prevention efforts by guiding development of interventions. These findings will be summarised and presented at conferences and through publication in a peer-reviewed journal.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018076862.

Objective: To evaluate the magnitude of the association between risk factors and premature myocardial infarction (MI) (men aged 18-55 years; women aged 18-65 years). Patients and Methods: We searched MEDLINE and other databases from inception through April 30, 2020, as well as bibliography of articles selected for data extraction. We selected observational studies reporting the magnitude of the association of at least 1 risk factor (demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, clinical risk factors, or biomarkers) with premature MI and a control group. Pooled risk estimates (random effects) from all studies unadjusted and adjusted for risk factors were reported as summary odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs. Results: From 35,320 articles of 12.7 million participants, we extracted data on 19 risk factors from 77 studies across 58 countries. Men had a higher risk of premature MI (OR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.71 to 3.35) than did women. Family history of cardiac disease was associated with a higher risk of premature MI (OR, 2.67; 95% CI, 2.29 to 3.27). Major modifiable risk factors associated with higher risk were current smoking (OR, 4.34; 95% CI, 3.68 to 5.12 vs no/former), diabetes mellitus (OR, 3.54; 95% CI, 2.69 to 4.65), dyslipidemia (OR, 2.94; 95% CI, 1.76 to 4.91), and hypertension (OR, 2.85; 95% CI, 2.48 to 3.27). Higher body mass index carried higher risk (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.24 to 1.71 for !25 kg/m 2 vs <25 kg/ m 2 ). Biomarkers associated with 2-to 3-fold higher risk were total cholesterol levels greater than 200 mg/ dL, triglyceride levels higher than 150 mg/dL, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels less than 60 mg/dL (to convert to mmol/L, multiply by 0.0259). Conclusion: Major risk factors for premature MI are mostly amenable to patient, population, and policy level interventions. Mild elevations in body mass index and triglyceride levels were associated with higher risk, which has implications for the growing worldwide epidemic of cardiometabolic diseases.

Rheumatoid vasculitis (RV) occurs in patients with long-standing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or high levels of immunological factors and can result in devastating cardiovascular (CV) events. Here we report a case of a 38-year-old male who presented with hypertensive emergency and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). In the literature, a few observational studies have indicated the association of RA with hypertension; however, little evidence exists supporting a direct relationship between RA and ICH. In this case, we attempted to evaluate the complex relationship between all of these factors and found that early detection and treatment of RA may be beneficial in reducing ICH; however, large studies in the future are warranted to validate our observation.

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