Coronary lesions suggestive of kawasaki disease in young patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction
Authors: Solis-Jimenez F , Gonzalez Pacheco H , Calderon Colmenero J , Cervantes Salazar J , Manzur Sandoval D , Briseno De La Cruz J L , Araiza Garaygordobil D , Sierra Lara Martinez D , Gopar Nieto R , Villalobos Pedroza M , Cornejo Guerra J A , Ornelas Casillas M , Terrazas Cervantes E , Torres Escobar G , Arias Mendoza A 
Published: October 2021

Background

Approximately 25% of patients with untreated Kawasaki disease (KD) in childhood develop coronary aneurysms, which represent a higher likelihood for the occurrence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in young adults. Although the clinical characteristics of young adults with KD and suspected ischemia have been studied, the available data about suggestive lesions of KD in AMI is scarce.

Purpose

To describe the prevalence, clinical characteristics and in-hospital mortality of young adults with AMI and coronary artery lesions suggestive of KD.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective study of consecutive ≤40-year old patients hospitalized with AMI and coronary angiography in a coronary care unit of a Mexican teaching hospital between 2006–2020. Patients were classified according to the presence or absence of suggestive lesions of KD sequelae such as proximal aneurysms, larger size and normal distal segments

Results

There were included 488 patients of 40 years of age and younger, diagnosed with AMI, in whom a coronary angiography was performed. Among them, 44 patients (9%) showed coronary aneurysm or ectasia, within this group, 16 patients (36.3%) had angiographic lesions compatible with KD. The patients were classified according to the type of coronary lesions: Angiographic lesions compatible with KD, 3.3% (n=16); Diffuse coronary artery ectasia (CAE), 5.7% (n=28); and Obstructive coronary disease (OCD), 91% (n=444). The prevalence of smoking, dyslipidemia, and hypertension were similar between the groups, whereas a history of diabetes was absent in KD patients (0%, 10.7%, and 22.1% for KD, CAE and OCD, respectively; P=0.04). At admission, ST-elevation myocardial infarction was more frequent in patients with KD (81.3%, 75%, and 67.1% for KD, CAE and OCD, respectively; P=0.35). More than half of patients with KD had coronary aneurysms in two or more vessels. The right coronary artery was the most commonly affected artery followed by the left anterior descending artery and left circumflex coronary artery (87.5%, 56.3% and 56.3%, respectively). The presence of intracoronary thrombus identified at the time of angiography was more frequent in patients with KD (62.5%, 60.7% and 44.1% for KD, CAE and OCD, respectively; P=0.09). Overall, unadjusted in-hospital mortality was 3.9% and there were no deaths in the KD group (0%, 0% and 4.3% for KD, CAE, and OCD, respectively; P=0.37).

Conclusion

In young patients with AMI, the sequelae of KD should be considered as a possible etiology, based on their angiographic characteristics. To bear in mind the nature of the pathogenesis is crucial to assess medical and interventional management strategies, which are not well defined yet, in order to evaluate cardiovascular risk and optimize a patient-tailored treatment, which could differ from the treatment of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None. Figure 1Figure 2