Coronary Artery Dissection in a 33-Year-Old Man With Fatigue and Episodic Retrosternal Burning: A Case Report Publisher



Mehrani M¹ ; Nematollahi A² ; Hatami M² ; Hosseini K² Show Affiliations
Source: European Heart Journal - Case Reports Published:2018

Abstract

Background Non-atherosclerotic spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare disease that predominantly affects women. It presents with acute chest pain, ventricular arrhythmias, and even sudden cardiac death. Case Summary A 33-year-old man presented to emergency department with fatigue and cold sweat. He had no complaint of chest pain at the time of admission. He experienced a retrosternal chest pain 2 days ago after lifting a 30 pounds weight in the gym. Para-clinic results such as coronary computed tomography angiography and electrocardiogram were normal. However, coronary angiography showed multiple coronary dissections. We followed the patient for 4 months. He was asymptomatic except for one episode of chest pain during Tehran earthquake, while he was carrying his child to escape the room. Follow-up myocardial perfusion scan was negative for ischaemia. Discussion Stressors such as intense exercise, emotional stress, and Valsalva manoeuvre may cause SCAD in otherwise healthy patient. As in our case, lifting heavy weights was the most likely reason for SCAD. Stable patients without ongoing chest pain will be followed conservatively. © The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)