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Chest pain in patients with undiagnosed Behçet's disease

A Hamzaoui1, N Bel Feki, A Brahem Sfaxi

  • 1Department of Internal Medicine and Research Unit 02/UR/15-8, Hospital La Rabta, Tunis, Tunisia. hamzaoui.amira@yahoo.fr

Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology
|October 10, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Behçet's disease can rarely cause heart attacks due to coronary artery aneurysms. Immunosuppressive therapy showed good improvement in these rare myocardial infarction cases.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Rheumatology
  • Systemic Inflammatory Diseases

Background:

  • Behçet's disease is a chronic systemic inflammatory disorder.
  • Commonly presents with oral/genital ulcers, eye, skin, and multisystem issues.
  • Arterial involvement, including coronary lesions, is a rare complication.

Observation:

  • Two cases of Behçet's disease presenting with myocardial infarction (MI) are described.
  • Both patients exhibited coronary artery aneurysms (CAA).

Findings:

  • Myocardial infarction secondary to coronary artery aneurysms is an extremely rare manifestation of Behçet's disease.
  • Immunosuppressive therapy led to significant clinical improvement in both reported cases.

Implications:

  • Highlights the importance of considering Behçet's disease in young patients with unexplained myocardial infarction and coronary aneurysms.
  • Suggests immunosuppressive therapy is effective for managing cardiac complications in Behçet's disease.
  • Underscores the need for increased awareness of cardiovascular manifestations in Behçet's disease.

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