Cardiac chest pain in children.

OBJECTIVE: Chest pain (CP) is a common cause of referral to hospital, not always directly related with cardiac diseases (CD). We investigated the causes for cardiac CP in children. METHODS: A hundred and twenty children, admitted consecutively to pediatric cardiology clinic with CP, were evaluated in two groups (5-12 and 13-16 age-group) in a cross-sectional and a retrospective way. Chest X-ray, electrocardiography, and echocardiography were performed. In case of necessity, 24-hour Holter monitoring, exercise stress test, tilt-table test were performed, and hemogram, serum glucose, electrolytes were evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-square test and risk ratio [(Odds-ratio (OR, (95% CI)] in groups were evaluated. RESULTS: Most children with CP were older. Cardiac diseases were established in 52 (42.5%) patients. Cardiac diseases, which may cause CP (aortic stenosis, mitral valve prolapse, arrhythmias, etc.) were found in 23.3% (n=28) of patients. Compared with the younger, the risk of structural CD was found to be 2.84 times higher (OR=2.84, 95%CI 1.24-6.48, p=0.011) and risk of arrhythmia was 3.53 times higher in the elder age group (OR=3.53, 95%CI 0.93-13.38, p=0.051). When all CD were evaluated, elder children were found to have 4.12 times more risk of having CD (OR=4.12, 95%CI 1.89-9.01, p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Most children with CP were older than 12 years old. CDs were frequent and about half of them were thought to directly cause pain. So, further investigations according to standard algorithms are needed in the evaluation of children with CP. Other important result is the increased risk of CD found in elder children.

Glucocorticoid-induced diabetic ketoacidosis in acute rheumatic fever.

Glucocorticoids are used as anti-inflammatory agents and are associated with many side effects including hyperglycemia, hypertension, pancreatitis, peptic ulcer, and so on. Hyperglycemia is a common side effect, but ketoacidosis is observed rarely. We present a girl who developed diabetic ketoacidosis after the administration of methylprednisolone during the treatment of acute rheumatic fever. She did not have diabetes and was not obese. She developed ketoacidosis after glucocorticoid therapy. Glucocorticoid-induced insulin resistance, lipolysis, and ketogenesis were likely to have precipitated ketoacidosis. During the treatment of ketoacidosis, the insulin need of the patient was gradually decreased by reducing glucocorticoid dose. In addition to the gradual reduction in glucocorticoid dose, salicylate therapy could be considered the treatment for insulin resistance. In this patient, screening for blood gases and urine was diagnostic in the diagnosis of ketoacidosis. The risk of ketoacidosis as well as hyperglycemia should be considered in the course of glucocorticoid therapy.

Treatment of massive cardiac thrombi in a patient with protein C and protein S deficiency.

Myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy is characterized by dilatation of all four cardiac chambers and decreased systolic function of the heart, especially in the left ventricle. In this report we presented a patient with myocarditis or dilated cardiomyopathy and deficiency of protein C and protein S with biventricular multiple intracardiac thrombi. Standard heparin infusion and acetyl salicylic acid was begun. On the 10th day of hospitalization the right ventricular thrombus disappeared, and on the 24th day all thrombi in the left ventricle disappeared. During the treatment we did not observe any complication such as hemorrhagia or embolism. We think that patients with dilated cardiomyopathy or myocarditis should be evaluated for hemostatic disorders, and should be anticoagulated if any of these disorders are presented.

Left main coronary artery and aortic root compression associated with atrial septal defect and pulmonary hypertension.

The extrinsic compression of left main coronary artery (LMCA) by dilated pulmonary artery is rarely reported. Various congenital and acquired diseases were shown to cause extrinsic LMCA compression. Here we present a child with aortic root and LMCA compression due to dilated pulmonary trunk and causing angina like chest pain. The patient had also electrocardiographic evidence of myocardial ischemia. This case report will be a guide for the evaluation and surgical treatment of the patients with pulmonary hypertension and LMCA compression.