Isolated thigh pain in myocardial infarction
Subramanian Senthilkumaran1, Ramachandran Meenakshisundaram, Andrew D Michaels
1Department of Emergency & Critical Care Medicine, Sri Gokulam Hospitals and Research Institute, Salem-636004, Tamil Nadu, India. maniansenthil@yahoo.co.in
The American Journal of Emergency Medicine
|March 14, 2013
Summary
Isolated thigh pain can be an unusual symptom of myocardial infarction (MI). This case report highlights a patient whose bilateral anteromedial thigh pain resolved after MI treatment, suggesting a novel pain referral pattern.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Neurology
Background:
- Referred pain from angina typically affects the upper body.
- Isolated thigh pain as a presenting symptom of myocardial infarction is rarely considered.
Observation:
- A middle-aged man presented with isolated bilateral anteromedial thigh pain.
- The patient had no apparent cardiovascular risk factors.
Findings:
- The patient was diagnosed with acute inferior wall myocardial infarction.
- Thigh pain resolved after thrombolysis treatment for the heart attack.
Implications:
- This case suggests that isolated thigh pain can be a referred symptom of myocardial infarction.
- The mechanism may involve sensory cardiac fibers and lumbar sympathetic ganglia, expanding the differential diagnosis for acute coronary syndromes.
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