Inherited and Acquired Thrombophilic Factors in Young Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome or Ischemic Stroke

Cardiovascular disease is indisputably one of the most important health problems in the world. Cardiovascular disease is the number-one cause of disability and death in the United States. Despite important progress in diagnosis and prevention, cardiovascular diseases such as acute coronary syndrome, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease are responsible for disability and death at a stupefying rate. By 2030, researchers indicate that non-communicable diseases will account for more than three-quarters of deaths worldwide, and cardiovascular disease will be responsible for more deaths than infectious diseases, maternal and perinatal conditions, and nutritional disorders in low income countries. In order to reduce the morbidity and mortality related to cardiovascular disease, population-based strategies may be useful in patients with well established diseases but also for healthy subjects at high risk to developing cardiovascular disease. It has been recently hypothesized that individual polymorphisms may have less or no independent effect on venous or arterial thrombosis, but may act in synergy with other genetic or established factors predisposing to cardiovascular disease especially in young patients. The combination of inherited or acquired thrombophilic risk factors with the classical cardiovascular risk factors seems to increase significantly the risk to develop acute coronary syndrome or ischemic stroke in young patients. Therefore, a correct lifestyle decreasing the effect of classical cardiovascular risk factors could play a key role in reducing the incidence of cardiovascular disease and lowering the cost to cure million of patients every year in the world. In particular, a correct lifestyle is strongly recommended in young healthy subjects with inherited or acquired thrombophilic risk factors.