CORONARY-ARTERY DISEASE ASSOCIATED WITH AORTITIS SYNDROME IN OLDER PATIENTS

Coronary artery disease associated with aortitis syndrome was studied in relation to the coronary artery lesions and age. Four (21%) of 19 patients with aortitis syndrome had coronary artery disease and the mean age of the 4 patients was 53 +/- 14 years. The coronary artery lesions included ostial stenosis in 2 patients and main branch stenosis in 2, but both types of lesion were isolated. The latter patients were older and had coronary lesions like arteriosclerosis on angiogram. Myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure were not present, but a severe coarctation of the aorta was observed in the latter. It was suggested that coronary artery disease might not be rare past middle age, and might include coronary ostial stenosis caused by aortitis and coronary main branch stenosis probably based on secondary arteriosclerosis whose onset was past middle age.