Aborted sudden cardiac death in a young male with rheumatoid arthritis; case report

Authors

  • Narae Kim Department of Cardiology, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea
  • Sang-Ho Cho Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea
  • In-Ho Yang Department of Cardiology, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.10763

Keywords:

Rheumatoid Arthritis, Coronary Artery Disease, Sudden Cardiac Death, Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) causes coronary artery atherosclerosis with a similar risk as diabetes or hypertension. However, coronary artery disease (CAD) is rare in young patients, especially in those presenting as chronic total occlusion (CTO).

We report a rare case of aborted sudden cardiac death in a 26-year-old patient with a six-year history of RA. He had no cardiovascular risk factors apart from RA. He was diagnosed with severe ischaemic heart failure (HF) due to recent myocardial ischaemia with CTO, using multimodal evaluation.

RA is associated with vulnerable plaque formation and prothrombotic tendencies. Anti-rheumatic drugs are thought to prevent the progression of CAD and reduce cardiovascular risk in patients with RA. However, this patient had severe HF with CTO, despite being on RA medication. This case suggests that RA may be a major risk factor for CAD, including CTO, in young individuals.

Keywords: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Coronary Artery Disease, Sudden Cardiac Death, Myocardial Infarction.

Author Biographies

Narae Kim, Department of Cardiology, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea

Department of Cardiology, MD

Sang-Ho Cho, Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea

Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, MD, PhD

Published

2024-10-16

How to Cite

Kim, N., Cho, S.-H., & Yang, I.-H. (2024). Aborted sudden cardiac death in a young male with rheumatoid arthritis; case report. Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 74(11), 2006–2008. https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.10763

Issue

Section

Case Report