Risk of sudden cardiac death in a case of spontaneous coronary artery dissection presenting with thyroid storm

S. Muscoli, D. Lecis, F.R. Prandi, D. Ylli, M. Chiocchi, V. Cammalleri, D. Lauro, A. Andreadi

Division of Cardiology, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy. dalgisio.lecis@gmail.com

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• Cardiology
• Emergency Medicine
• Endocrinology

OBJECTIVE: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a spontaneous separation of the coronary artery wall whose etiology appears to be poorly understood. SCAD is a rare cause of acute coronary syndromes, and it is a life-threatening condition.

CASE REPORT: We report the case of a young woman who developed SCAD during a thyroid storm (TS).

RESULTS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of SCAD during a TS, and it suggests a possible association between high levels of circulating thyroid hormones and SCAD susceptibility.

CONCLUSIONS: Early identification of SCAD predisposing factors is important to identify high-risk patients. In patients presenting to the emergency department because of chest pain with a history of dysthyroidism, early determination of thyroid hormones and troponin could prevent certain forms of sudden cardiac death.

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