Body Mass Index and its relation to patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

Type of funding sources: None.

Obesity is frequently encountered in patients with acute coronary syndrome, but whether it is the cause of a detrimental effect on Troponin after acute coronary syndrome remains an area of research. We investigated the effects of the body mass index (BMI) in post-myocardial infarction (MI) patients, and see the difference in troponin and other parameters between normal and over-weight patients.

A retrospective cohort study.

Ministry of National Guard health affair, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

One year from January 2019-January 2020

Data were extracted from the electronic medical files of patients hospitalized due to acute ST-elevation MI to examine the association between BMI and MI. The patients (n=63) were categorized in BMI groups (kg/m2) using the baseline measurements, to assess the independent factors associated with a patient with a high BMI who had a MI.

In total, 61 post-MI patients with a mean age of 56.9 ± 11.2 years were included in the study. The average BMI was 28.5 ± 6.5 kg/m2. Just more than a third (37.4%, n=23) were in the normal BMI category, 19 (31.2%) overweight, and 19 (31.2%) obese/morbid obesity. The left ventricle mass was 93.74 ± 32.69 gram and LVEF 44.02% ± 10.02. There was a significant difference in the mean level of troponin and mean heart rate between the BMI groups (normal vs. overweight groups). A fair correlation between BMI and LV mass was noted. No statistically significant relation could be linked to high body mass with total cholesterol, LDL, or AST/ALT.

In this pilot study, the group with a high BMI had a statistically significant lower troponin level and higher mean heart rate. Such data need to be considered when assessing a patient’s risk. In addition, obese persons with a MI had a higher LV mass