Open AccessSickle-cell and alpha-thalassemia traits resulting in non-atherosclerotic myocardial infarction: Beyond coincidence?
Author(s) -
Lee S. Nguyen,
A. Redheuil,
O. Mangin,
JoeElie Salem
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
world journal of clinical cases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.368
H-Index - 10
ISSN - 2307-8960
DOI - 10.12998/wjcc.v5.i12.428
Subject(s) - medicine , myocardial infarction , cardiology , sickle cell trait , thalassemia , ventricle , aspirin , disease
Alpha-thalassemia trait and sickle trait are not commonly considered risk factors of ischemic heart disease. We report the case of a non-atherosclerotic silent myocardial infarction in a 46-year-old woman, carrier of the alpha-thalassemia trait (homozygous deletion of locus -3.7) combined with sickle cell trait. While the patient was included as healthy volunteer for a metabolic study, we performed cardiac magnetic resonance imagery showing a left ventricle apicolateral myocardial infarction. Coronary computed tomography angiography showed normal coronary arteries with a coronary calcium score of 0. The patient was treated with low-dose aspirin in secondary prevention afterwards. This case allows us to discuss cardiovascular risk among patients presenting with both alpha-thalassemia trait and sickle cell trait and the indication of cardiac imagery in such patients even when considered as low-cardiovascular risk.