Life threatening coronary artery spasm in childhood Kimura's disease

A case report of refractory multivessel coronary spasm associated with hypereosinophilic syndrome: one cell, one disease?

Background

Hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) is characterized by moderate to severe eosinophilia, exclusion of neoplastic or secondary origins of eosinophilia, and systemic involvement with end-organ damage. Coronary arteries can be affected to cause vasospastic angina (VSA); however, the association of the two diseases is not well recognized.

Case summary

A 55-year-old woman who had a history of multiple allergic disease such as bronchial asthma and chronic sinusitis with nasal polyps was hospitalized due to attacks of chest pain at rest. During a spontaneous attack of chest pain, ECG revealed ST-segment elevation in the inferior leads and emergency coronary angiography showed focal spasms of the right and left anterior descending coronary arteries, both of which were relieved after intracoronary administration of nitroglycerine. She was diagnosed with VSA according to the Japanese Circulation Society guidelines. Despite conventional vasodilator therapies, her resting angina remained refractory. Laboratory findings were notable for moderate eosinophilia. A comprehensive evaluation to uncover the underlying cause of refractory VSA led to the diagnosis of HES, concomitant with eosinophilic pneumonia and eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis. Pericoronary inflammation by fat attenuation index (FAI) was increased in the proximal segment of the right coronary artery. Treatment was initiated with oral prednisolone at a starting dose of 30 mg/day. The response to treatment was rapid, with her symptoms disappearing and a regression of eosinophilia observed the following day.

Discussion

Hypereosinophilic syndrome manifests with refractory VSA, and eosinophil-suppressing corticosteroid therapy proves effective in improving both conditions along with reduction of the pericoronary inflammation by FAI.

Eosinophilic interstitial nephritis and cardiac insufficiency in Kimura's disease: a case report

Background

Kimura’s disease (KD) is a rare chronic inflammatory disease and the etiology remains uncharacterized. The typical manifestations are painless lymph node or subcutaneous masses. There is currently no report of prominent renal interstitial injury and cardiac insufficiency in KD.

Case presentation

A 45-year-old man was referred to our hospital with dark urine, subcutaneous masses in forehead and right retroauricular, multiple lymphadenopathy and unexplained cardiac insufficiency. Renal biopsy demonstrated eosinophilic interstitial nephritis. Laboratory tests revealed eosinophilia and a high level of serum IgE. A biopsy of cervical lymph node was performed and KD was diagnosed. Treatment with oral prednisone resulted in a decrease of eosinophil, serum IgE, improvement of cardiac function, and regression of the subcutaneous mass.

Conclusions

We describe an extremely rare KD case presenting with eosinophilic interstitial nephritis, cardiac insufficiency and significant response to prednisone. The clinicians should improve the disease awareness and find optimal treatment.

Kimura's disease: effects of age on clinical presentation

BACKGROUND

Kimura's disease (KD) is known to be dominant among young Asian men, but it can also occur in middle- and advanced-aged people. The clinical characteristics of KD, especially by age, are not well known.

AIM

This study was performed to investigate the effects of age on the clinical characteristics of KD.

DESIGN

We conducted a case series study.

METHODS

All case studies of patients diagnosed with KD were collected via a PubMed search of studies published until August 2018. The data were analyzed by age group.

RESULTS

In total, 215 studies were reviewed (238 patients; mean age of 36 years). The male:female ratio was 4:1 overall, 17:1 in patients aged <20 years, 4:1 in patients aged 20-39 years and 2:1 in patients aged ≥40 years (P = 0.01). The percentage of patients with pruritus was 15.4% overall, 3.8% in patients aged <20 years, 15.5% in patients aged 20-39 years and 21.7% in patients aged ≥40 years (P = 0.02). The time to diagnosis was 5.3 years overall, 3.2 years in patients aged <20 years, 4.7 years in patients aged 20-39 years and 7.1 years in patients aged ≥40 years (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The proportion of female patients affected the incidence of pruritus, and the time to diagnosis increased as the patients' age increased. There were no significant age-related differences in region/race, complications, multiplicity, laterality, anatomical distribution, maximum size, eosinophil count, immunoglobulin E level, initial treatment, recurrence or outcomes. This may be useful information for the diagnosis of KD.

Observation of Angiolymphoid Hyperplasia with Eosinophilia (ALHE) at Three Arterial Sites and Its Association with Membranous Nephropathy

We herein report a case involving the systemic presentation of angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (ALHE) in association with membranous nephropathy (MN). A 34-year-old Japanese man presented with leg edema and bilateral temporal nodules. He had a history of Buerger's disease and recurrent coronary stenosis. A renal biopsy performed to assess nephrotic syndrome revealed MN. Furthermore, a temporal nodule was excised, and ALHE was diagnosed. We reevaluated the coronary and posterior tibial artery specimens obtained in his twenties and presumed that these lesions were also vascular tumors arising from ALHE. The association of ALHE and MN is quite rare.

Occlusion of Internal Carotid Artery in Kimura's Disease

We describe a unique case of Kimura's disease in which cerebral infarction was caused by occlusion of the right internal carotid artery. A 25-year-old man with Kimura's disease was admitted to our hospital because of left hemiparesis. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the head showed infarction in the right frontal and temporal lobes. Cerebral angiography demonstrated right internal carotid artery occlusion affecting the C1 segment, with moyamoya-like collateral vessels arising from the right opthalamic artery. Kimura's disease is a chronic disease characterized by the clinical triad of slowly enlarging subcutaneous masses with lymphoid hyperplasia in the head and neck. It often occurs in young Asian men. In our patient, the pathogenesis of internal carotid artery occlusion was unknown. There have only been a few case reports in which occlusion of the internal carotid artery was associated with autoimmune disease, and no previous cases of internal carotid occlusion associated with Kimura's disease have been reported. We suspected that occlusion of this patient's internal carotid artery may be caused by the autoimmune mechanism that underlies Kimura's disease.

Coronary vasospasm in an adolescent resulting from marijuana use

This report is the first to describe coronary vasospasm, diagnosed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in an adolescent, resulting from marijuana abuse. A previously healthy 17-year-old male patient with severe chest pain, electrocardiographic changes, and urine test positive for cannabis, was diagnosed of having transient myocardial ischemia. The patient was discharged home and at this writing remains asymptomatic with a follow-up echocardiogram after 1 month showing normal left ventricular systolic function. Marijuana should be considered in the etiology of transient coronary vasospasm leading to myocardial ischemia in otherwise healthy adolescents. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is a safe and effective method for diagnosing coronary vasospasm.

Hypereosinophilic syndrome associated with occlusive coronary thrombosis and right ventricular thrombus

A 44-year-old man with HES who developed a large thrombus in the right ventricle as well as multiple occlusive coronary thrombi died of cardiac failure. Autopsy showed that a large thrombus in the right ventricle was associated with eosinophilic endocarditis. In addition, an occlusive thrombus formed in the circumflex and right coronary arteries with eosinophilic infiltrate in the walls. The findings suggest a causal relationship between coronary thrombosis and eosinophilia. To the authors' knowledge this is the first report to document the clinical and histological findings of coronary thrombosis in a patient with HES.

Control of hypereosinophilic syndrome-associated recalcitrant coronary artery spasm by combined treatment with prednisone, imatinib mesylate and hydroxyurea

Uncontrolled hypereosinophilic syndrome is frequently associated with cardiovascular consequences that cause significant morbidity and mortality. The present article reports on a patient with hypereosinophilic syndrome in whom recurrent, recalcitrant coronary artery spasm and associated cardiac arrest were the predominant cardiac manifestations. No valvular abnormalities, evidence of mural thrombi or other cardiac findings commonly associated with hypereosinophilic syndrome were detected, and cardiac function remained normal. The serum tryptase level was normal, cysteine-rich hydrophobic domain 2 (CHIC2) deletion analysis of bone marrow cells was negative and no evidence of mastocytosis or other hematological disorder was found in the bone marrow. To allow for the reduction of prednisone, interferon-alpha-2b was added to the patient's program, but caused aggravation of chest pain and was discontinued. However, a combination of reduced prednisone dosage, imatinib mesylate and hydroxyurea successfully controlled the eosinophilia, and thereafter, episodes of coronary artery spasm did not recur. The clinical features of the present case suggest that, in some patients, hypereosinophilia may manifest as resistant coronary artery spasm and that aggressive control of eosinophilia is necessary.

Brachial artery occlusion secondary to hypereosinophilic syndrome

Hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) is characterized by an overproduction of eosinophils that leads to organ damage. Although most cases of HES frequently affect the lungs, heart, and gastrointestinal tract, there are a few reported cases of peripheral vascular involvement. We report a case of a patient with a history of colonic HES who presented with idiopathic occlusion of the brachial artery. A 28-year-old woman with a recent history of eosinophilic colitis presented with a several-week history of left hand pain, pallor, and paresthesias. Her hand was cool, without palpable pulses. Her eosinophilia count was 38%. An arteriogram documented a left brachial artery occlusion and diffuse left arm vasospasm. A brachial-to-brachial bypass was performed. Postoperatively, there was extensive vasospasm of her distal upper extremity arteries, which was treated with calcium-channel blockers and steroids. Her symptoms resolved and she has been asymptomatic for 9 months. The segment of occluded artery was found to contain many eosinophils on histologic examination. HES of the arterial system is an exceedingly rare cause of occlusion. Our patient presented with eosinophilia, arterial vasospasm with subsequent occlusion, and the presence of eosinophilic infiltration on the pathologic specimen. These data, combined with the patient's previous history, demonstrate that the patient's occlusion may have been secondary to HES.