AI Article Synopsis
- Atypical presentations of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) can lead to misdiagnosis and higher mortality rates, particularly in older patients, women, and those with diabetes, chronic kidney disease, or dementia.
- Many chemotherapy drugs are linked to heart issues, and patients on high doses of opioids for pain may not show typical symptoms of heart problems, complicating diagnosis.
- This case report highlights the importance of recognizing non-chest pain symptoms as indicators of myocardial ischaemia in patients undergoing chemotherapy and receiving opiate treatment.
Article Abstract
Atypical presentations of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are not uncommon and have been associated with higher mortality probably, because these patients are misdiagnosed and undertreated. They are most frequently encountered in older patients, women and in patients with diabetes, chronic renal failure or dementia. It is also well described in the literature that many chemotherapy agents are associated with myocardial ischaemic events. In addition to that, patients with cancer frequently receive large doses of opiate analgesics for chronic pain, which can obscure the symptoms of myocardial ischaemia. In this case report, we describe a patient who was receiving chemotherapy and large doses of opiate analgesics and presented with atypical symptoms for ACS. Our aim is to raise awareness of this challenging group of patients and the necessity to pay particular attention to symptoms other than chest pain as potential indicators of myocardial ischaemia.
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Source |
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| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4370027 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/omcr/omu050 | DOI Listing |
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