Myron Prinzmetal 1908-1987: the man behind the variant angina

Prinzmetal or variant angina refers to decrease in blood flow secondary to spontaneous spasm of the arterial wall usually without significant atherosclerotic plaques. These symptoms happen at rest and often may wake up the patient during the night. This angina is named after Myron Prinzmetal (1908-1987), who worked most of his life in Los Angeles and published 165 medical publications during his brilliant career. His interests ranged from disease of the lung, kidneys, and peripheral vascular disease to cardiac arrhythmias, circulatory shock, hypertension, and coronary syndromes. In 1959, with Dr. Rexford Kennamer and others, he published their first observations on the variant form of angina pectoris, a landmark report that was to ensure him a place in the annals of medicine. This report describes his life.