[Myocardial infarction in hyperthyroidism (author's transl)]

Three patients with untreated hyperthyroidism at the time of admission are reported. Two of them were young women with myocardial infarction and no significant lesions of the coronary arteries, and the third was a male with a prior history of Prinzmetal's variant angina with ventricular fibrillation. Emphasis is made on the fact that the association of hyperthyroidism and ischemic cardiomyopathy is well known but infrequent. Finally, a comment is made on the possible mechanisms of occlusion of a coronary artery in this situation, namely vasospasm, embolism with later recanalization, or the direct effect of thyroid hormones on the factors determining myocardial oxygen consumption.