[Clinical and coronary angiographic features of patients with systemic vasculitis and coronary artery disease].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical and coronary angiographic features of patients with systemic vasculitis and coronary artery disease.

METHOD: Fifteen patients (11 male) with systemic vasculitis and coronary artery diseases admitted to our hospital from January 1999 to October 2009 were reviewed.

RESULTS: There were 6 patients with Behcet's disease, 3 patients with Churg-Strauss syndrome, 2 patients with Takayasu arteritis, 1 patient with polyarteritis nodosa, 1 patient with microscopic polyangiitis, 1 patient with Wegner's granulomatosis and 1 patient with Kawasaki disease. Mean age of this cohort was (39.3 ± 11.9) years. Adverse coronary events occurred in 4 patients during the inactive phase of systemic vasculitis and in 9 patients during the active phase of systemic vasculitis. Twelve patients were hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction, 2 with angina pectoris and 1 with cardiac tamponade. There were 3 patients with acute left ventricular dysfunction and 3 patients with severe arrhythmias. Compared to patients in the inactive phase, patients in the active phase were younger [(32.4 ± 8.1) years vs. (47.0 ± 10.2) years], had less risk factors for atherosclerosis (1.2 ± 1.5 to 2.8 ± 1.7) and the time intervals between coronary artery disease and systemic vasculitis was shorter [0 - 7 years (average 1.6 years) to 3 - 30 years (average 17.7 years)]. Coronary angiography evidenced coronary stenosis or occlusions in 11 patients, coronary aneurysm and acute thrombosis in 1 patient, coronary aneurysms and occlusions in 1 patient and coronary spasm in 2 patients. LVEF measured by echocardiography was less than 50% in 8 patients.

CONCLUSION: Patients with various systemic vasculitis could develop severe coronary artery disease due to coronary stenosis/occlusion, aneurysma, thrombosis and coronary spasm.