Coronary ectasia in a homozygous patient with familial hypercholesterolemia

How a simple medical observation led to increased awareness and propagation of research in Kawasaki disease in Egypt

“…In this study, patients with CE were more commonly obese ( p < 0.01) and had a higher incidence of multiple-vessel coronary artery disease, including left main disease (not statistically significant). Although hypertension 11 and dyslipidemia 12 have been associated with CE in other studies, in this study there was no difference in the classic CAD risk factors between the CE and non-CE groups. Atherosclerosis, KD and aging were discussed as possible causes of ectasia, but the authors concluded that the high incidence of CE in Egyptian patients with CAD maybe due to a more aggressive remodeling process of the atherosclerotic vessel and that obesity may play a role.…”

Pathogenetic mechanisms of coronary ectasia

“…Indirect evidence for an association between plasma lipoprotein levels and coronary artery aneurysms comes from reports in cases of familial hypercholesterolemia [40,41]. One study found that coronary ectasia is more frequent in patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia than in healthy controls, and is associated with reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels [42].…”

“…Some indirect evidence for the influence of genetics to the development of coronary ectasia comes from its association with the angiotensin converting enzyme genotype [59] and also with hereditary conditions like familial hypercholesterolemia [40,41]. Genetic variations may also account for the differences in the frequency of ectasia in certain geographical regions [11].…”

The use of intrastent peripheral stent in large coronary arteries: Report of three cases

“…Although symptoms due to atherosclerotic coronary artery disease are largely due to coronary stenoses, coronary ectasia can also be a manifestation of atherosclerosis [6]. Previous studies have demonstrated an association between the coronary ectasia and several risk factors of atherosclerosis such as hypertension [7,8], familial hypercholesterolemia [9], and low serum levels of high-density lipoprotein [10]. In one study, the presence of ectasia of the coronary arteries (excluding poststenotic dilatation) correlated with the severity of coronary stenoses by quantitative angiography [10].…”