Vertebral Artery Dissection and Takotsubo Syndrome Associated with Marijuana Use

Abstract

Cervical artery dissection is an intimal tear in a cervical artery with the development of intramural hematoma resulting in stenosis, occlusion, or aneurysmal dilation. Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is characterized by acute heart failure with a distinctive regional left ventricular contraction profile. We presented the case of a 33-year-old male who visited the emergency department due to right-sided arm/leg weakness, slurred speech and transient loss of right eye vision. The patient was diagnosed with vertebral artery dissection and TTS complicated with community-acquired pneumonia. Only other case has been reported of TTS with bilateral vertebral artery dissection. TTS is a disease triggered by physical or emotional stressors. It can be confused with acute myocardial infarction and should be disoriented for the appropriate management. The prognosis is generally favorable.

Unraveling Patterns of Congenital Structural Malformations in Infants: A Hospital-Based Descriptive Study

“…Research by Seba et al and Ghosh et al [13,14] indicated that congenital malformations are commonly observed in mothers over the age of 30, while our study showed that most mothers of neonates with congenital anomalies were between 18 and 30 years of age. Our results are consistent with the study by Sanchez-Nadales et al, which showed that most mothers of neonates with congenital anomalies were between 20 and 35 years of age [12]. Similar findings were reported by Tiwari and Gupta [15].…”

“…The high prevalence of congenital malformations in males could be because the female babies were affected by more lethal congenital malformations; so, they could not survive being born with signs of life [ 22 ]. In our present study, a higher birth weight was associated with a higher rate of congenital malformations, which is consistent with the findings from Sanchez-Nadales et al [ 12 ] and Singh et al [ 9 ]. However, this contradicts the findings of Seba et al [ 13 ] who reported a high rate of congenital malformations in fetuses with lower birth weights.…”

“…In our study, a mortality rate of 7.3% was observed among cases of congenital malformations, which was consistent with the findings from Sanchez-Nadales et al [12] who reported a mortality rate of 11.5%. Variations in mortality rates across different regions may be attributed to social and racial influences commonly observed in genetic disorders.…”

“…Recognizing the significance of birth abnormalities, the Indian government's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) initiative to address the issue effectively. At every delivery site, a thorough newborn screening program has been put in place as part of this initiative, with an emphasis on apparent birth abnormalities [ 12 ]. Congenital anomaly patterns and prevalence can change over time or depending on geographic region.…”

“…Similar observations have been reported in a present study in which 75.3% of inborn males and 63.6% of outborns were found to have congenital malformations. A study by Sanchez-Nadales et al observed a higher prevalence of congenital malformations in male subjects [ 12 ]. In the study by Seba et al, 2.7% of male neonates were found to have structural congenital anomalies as compared to female children with a prevalence of 1.9% [ 13 ].…”