Young Hearts at Risk: Awareness of Precautionary Measures in Myocardial Infarction Patients Under 40

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the awareness of precautionary measures, including risk factors, warning signs, and preventive behaviors, among myocardial infarction (MI) patients under the age of 40 years in Karachi, Pakistan. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted from May to October 2023 across five major hospitals in Karachi. A total of 215 MI patients aged 18–40 years were recruited using purposive sampling. Awareness was assessed through a structured, validated questionnaire covering three domains: risk factors, warning signs, and preventive behaviors (e.g., medication adherence, lifestyle modification, smoking cessation). Participants achieving ≥70% correct responses were categorized as having good awareness. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26, with Chi-square tests applied to assess associations between awareness and sociodemographic variables. A p-value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Of the 215 participants, most were male (77.7%) and married (91.2%), with nearly half (46%) belonging to the low-income group. Common comorbidities included hypertension (50.7%), diabetes (40.5%), and dyslipidemia (43.3%). Awareness of traditional risk factors such as high blood pressure (86%) and high cholesterol (77.7%) was high, whereas knowledge of physical inactivity (28.8%) and stress (53.4%) as risk factors was limited. While 95.8% recognized the importance of regular follow-up visits and 80% acknowledged dietary modification, only 28.8% emphasized physical activity. Awareness was significantly associated with education (p=0.001), socioeconomic status (p=0.002), and marital status (p=0.007), but not with age or gender. Conclusion: Although awareness of some conventional MI risk factors and warning signs was encouraging, considerable gaps remain regarding modifiable lifestyle-related behaviors among young MI patients. Targeted, culturally relevant health education programs are urgently needed to promote preventive practices and reduce the growing burden of premature myocardial infarction in Pakistan.