Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Dec 26, 2021; 9(36): 11392-11399
Published online Dec 26, 2021. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i36.11392
Acute myocardial infarction in a young man with ankylosing spondylitis: A case report
Zhi-Hong Wan, Jing Wang, Qing Zhao
Zhi-Hong Wan, Jing Wang, Qing Zhao, Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Huaihe Hospital of Henan University, Kaifeng 475000, Henan Province, China
Author contributions: Wan ZH and Zhao Q performed the diagnostic investigation; Wan ZH reviewed the literature and contributed to manuscript drafting; Wang J revised the manuscript; all authors issued final approval for the version to be submitted.
Informed consent statement: Written informed consent for publication of their clinical details and clinical images were obtained from the patient. A copy of the consent form is available for review by the editor of this journal.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Zhao Qing, MD, Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Huaihe Hospital of Henan University, No. 115 Ximen Street, Gulou District, Kaifeng 475000, Henan Province, China. 13837816780@163.com
Received: July 1, 2021
Peer-review started: July 1, 2021
First decision: July 26, 2021
Revised: July 27, 2021
Accepted: November 14, 2021
Article in press: November 14, 2021
Published online: December 26, 2021
Processing time: 175 Days and 0.7 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic progressive inflammatory disease that mainly affects the spine and sacroiliac joints. To the best of our knowledge, AS with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has rarely been reported. Here, we report an unusual case of AS with AMI in a young patient.

CASE SUMMARY

A 37-year-old man was admitted to the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of our hospital on March 14, 2020, for low back pain. Further evaluation with clinical examinations, laboratory tests, and imaging resulted in a diagnosis of AS. Treatment with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor partially improved his symptoms. However, his back pain persisted. After 6 wk of treatment, he was admitted to the emergency room of another hospital in this city for sudden-onset severe chest pain consistent with a diagnosis of AMI. Angiography revealed severe narrowing of the coronary arteries. Surgical placement of two coronary stents completely relieved his back pain.

CONCLUSION

AS can cause cardiovascular diseases, including AMI. It is important to consider the cardiovascular risks in the management of AS.

Keywords: Ankylosing spondylitis; Acute myocardial infarction; Coronary stent placement; Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors

Core Tip: We described a case of a young man with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) who presented with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). In addition to treatment with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor, stent placement completely relieved his back pain. This study highlights the possibility for AS to present with cardiovascular manifestations, including life-threatening AMI. Hence, it is important to consider the AS-related cardiovascular risk in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with back pain.