Massive Diffuse Calcification of the Ascending Aorta and Minimal Focal Calcification of the Abdominal Aorta in Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia

A 41-year-old woman, the mother of 3 offspring, with likely heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, had been asymptomatic until age 38 when angina pectoris and exertional dyspnea appeared leading to the discovery of severe multivessel coronary artery disease and a massively calcified ascending a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of cardiology 2016-04, Vol.117 (8), p.1381-1385
Main Authors: Roberts, William C., MD, Won, Vera S., BS, Weissenborn, Matthew R., MD, Khalid, Adnan, MD, Lima, Brian, MD
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Angina pectoris
Aorta, Abdominal - pathology
Aorta, Thoracic - pathology
Aortic Diseases - diagnosis
Aortic Diseases - etiology
Calcinosis - diagnosis
Calcinosis - etiology
Cardiovascular
Fatal Outcome
Female
Heart attacks
Heterozygote
Humans
Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II - complications
Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II - genetics
Low density lipoprotein
Patients
Pedigree
Veins & arteries
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Summary:A 41-year-old woman, the mother of 3 offspring, with likely heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, had been asymptomatic until age 38 when angina pectoris and exertional dyspnea appeared leading to the discovery of severe multivessel coronary artery disease and a massively calcified ascending aorta. Coronary bypass grafting using the right and left internal mammary arteries did not alleviate the symptoms. Evidence of overt heart failure subsequently appeared and that led to heart transplantation at age 41. She died 22 days later. The occurrence of massive diffuse calcification of the ascending aorta and minimal focal calcification of the abdominal aorta is rare and in the patient described it appears to be the consequence of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia.
ISSN:0002-9149
1879-1913
DOI:10.1016/j.amjcard.2016.01.034