Jornal de imagens clínicas e relatos de casos

Unusual Acute Myocardial Infarction in Young Male with Hereditary Protein C and S Deficiency

Ibrahim Osman, Bankim Patel, George Koromia and Assad Movahed

We report on a 33 year old man who presented with an acute anterolateral myocardial infarction (MI) caused by thrombotic occlusion of the left anterior coronary artery [LAD] as the initial cardiac manifestation of hereditary protein C and S deficiencies. This case report shows that acute coronary syndrome in the young population could have other causes than atherosclerotic plaque rupture. This is essential knowledge for the clinicians to consider other etiologies in the differential diagnosis such as hypercoagulable state in young patients with myocardial infarctions. Once the diagnosis is established then more appropriate management and prevention of recurrent events is possible. Furthermore, family screening could lead to a prophylactic approach in carriers of this mutation.