Acute Myocardial Infarction in Sickle Cell Disease: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Although vascular occlusion is a hallmark of sickle cell disease, documented myocardial infarction is an uncommon event in these patients. We report a case of an acute lateral myocardial infarction in a 25 year old male homozygous for HbS, who had previously had a relatively benign course of his sickle cell disease. Management of the case included an exchange transfusion and a 6 month period of chronic simple transfusions (2 units packed red cells every 3-4 weeks). We review here the available literature on cardiovascular manifestations of sickle cell disease.