Sudden death due to isolated segmentary coronary vasculitis
Dan Dermengiu1, Sorin Hostiuc, George Cristian Curca
1From the *Department of Legal Medicine and Bioethics, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy; †Department of Forensic Pathology, National Institute of Legal Medicine; Departments of ‡Anatomy and §Pathology, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy; and ∥Department of Pathology, National Institute of Legal Medicine, Bucharest, Romania.
Insights
Coronary vasculitis, a rare cause of sudden cardiac death, was identified in an 18-year-old football player. Autopsy revealed isolated coronary polyarteritis nodosa as the cause of his fatal myocardial infarction.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pathology
- Rheumatology
Background:
- Coronary vasculitis involves inflammation of heart arteries, potentially causing blockages or aneurysms.
- Sudden cardiac death due to coronary vasculitis is exceptionally rare in medical literature.
Observation:
- An 18-year-old football player experienced sudden collapse during a game.
- He was diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction and remained in a coma before passing away.
Findings:
- Autopsy revealed coronary artery dilatation and luminal extension.
- The condition was diagnosed as isolated coronary polyarteritis nodosa.
Implications:
- This case highlights the critical importance of considering rare causes of sudden cardiac death in young athletes.
- It underscores the need for thorough pathological examination in unexplained cardiac events.
- Highlights the link between vasculitis and potentially fatal cardiac events.
Abstract:
Coronary vasculitis is a group of conditions occurring either independently or associated with another diseases characterized by an inflammation of the blood vessel's wall and subsequent fibrinoid necrosis, occlusion, stenosis, or aneurismal dilatations. Coronary vasculitis leading to sudden cardiac death has rarely been described in the scientific literature.We present the case of an 18-year-old football player who collapsed when playing football. The patient remained in a deep coma (glasgow coma scale = 3) in the hospital for another 4 hours before dying. During hospitalization, he was diagnosed with acute anterolateral myocardial infarction with ST elevation. An autopsy was performed the next day, and on the coronary vessels were identified a dilatation with luminal extension, which, based on clinical and pathological criteria, was considered to be an isolated, coronary polyarteritis nodosa.
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