Vasospastic Angina in a Young Woman: A Case Report

Abstract

Vasospastic angina (VSA) is a disease that causes myocardial ischemia due to transient vasoconstriction of the epicardial coronary arteries. This disease generally occurs in middle-aged and older adults, but there are also reports of it occurring in young people. We report a case of VSA in a woman in her 20's. Six months ago, a female patient in her 20s became aware of a strangling sensation in the chest that lasted for approximately 1-20 minutes at rest or during stress. She consulted her family doctor who prescribed nitroglycerin sublingual tablets, which were effective. She was a current smoker and had a history of bronchial asthma, with no family history of coronary artery disease. Resting electrocardiogram and echocardiography revealed no clear abnormalities. The patient was referred to our hospital for coronary angiography (CAG) and spasm provocation test (SPT), primarily to thoroughly examine her chest pain at rest. CAG revealed no significant stenosis. A subsequent SPT using acetylcholine demonstrated diffuse coronary spasm in the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). The coronary spasm resolved spontaneously, but the catheter was difficult to maneuver owing to the radial artery spasm at the puncture site; thus, nitroglycerin was administered, which alleviated the radial artery spasm. Another SPT was performed on the right coronary artery (RCA) and revealed no coronary spasm. Coronary microcirculatory function using a pressure wire in response to the peripheral infusion of adenosine triphosphate was assessed in the RCA and LAD, both of which were normal. The patient was discharged from the hospital on an oral calcium channel blocker (CCB). She continued to experience chest pain, but her chest symptoms improved with CCB medication and a change in her workplace. It must be kept in mind that coronary spasms can occur even in young women and should be one of the differentials of chest pain in such patients.