Ultra-rapid progression of coronary artery disease or undiagnosed unstable plaque? A brief review from a case report

Abstract

Coronary artery disease rarely manifests itself in the first decades of life, which explains why this population is underrepresented in clinical studies. The mechanisms and natural history of the disease seem to differ between this population and older patients. Recent studies suggest a more rapid disease progression in youth, presenting more unstable atherosclerotic plaques, although this correlation has yet to be proven. In this paper, we present the case of a 41-year-old man who presented with a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction, with percutaneous coronary intervention of the culprit lesion (70-90% lesion at bifurcation of the circumflex artery with the first marginal obtuse artery and a sub-occlusive lesion of the ramus intermedius). There was also a non-significant lesion (estimated at 30%) located in the left anterior descending coronary artery. Ten days after discharge, the patient suffered another non-ST elevation myocardial infarction. The coronary angiography revealed a surprising sub-occlusive lesion of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Regarding this case, the authors reviewed the literature on the pathophysiology of rapidly progressive coronary artery disease and the approach for non-significant lesions in patients with acute coronary syndrome, especially in the younger population.

Keywords: Acute coronary syndrome; Adulto jovem; Coronary artery disease; Doença coronária; Placa vulnerável; Síndrome coronária aguda; Vulnerable plaque; Young adult.