Myocardial infarction in an 11-year-old child with systemic lupus erythematosus

SLE is a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect almost every organ (1). Risk of cardiovascular diseases such as pericarditis, myocarditis, valvular heart disease, and myocardial infarction is increased in SLE, but the latter is observed rarely in childhood. An 11-year-old girl who had been followed-up at our pediatric nephrology clinic for SLE was admitted to our emergency room with chest pain followed by cardiac arrest. We detected 2–3 mm ST elevations in the DII, DIII, aVF, V5, and V6 leads of electrocardiography. Creatine kinase MB fraction (CKMB) was 7.75 ng/mL (range, 0.6–6.3) and troponin I level was 0.88 ng/mL (range, 0–0.04). Transthoracic echocardiography revealed areas of dyskinesia in the left ventricular apical region, paradoxical movement in the interventricular septum, and minimal aortic insufficiency. Coronary angiography revealed total occlusion of the Anatol J Cardiol 2016; 16: 364-8 Letters to the Editor 367