FATAL MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION RESULTING FROM CORONARY ARTERITIS IN A PATIENT WITH POLYMYALGIA-RHEUMATICA AND BIOPSY-PROVED TEMPORAL ARTERITIS- A CASE-REPORT AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Giant cell arteritis is frequently an attendant complication of polymy algia rheumatica. While involvement of other arterial beds is occasion ally identified, this syndrome is most frequently recognized when symp tomatic involvement of the temporal arteries occurs. We describe such a patient who despite initial treatment with high-dose intravenous and standard (5-day) orally administered corticosteroid therapy suffered a fatal myocardial infarction, which at autopsy was shown to be a cons equence of granulomatous coronary arteritis. The literature is reviewe d and the clinical implications of this case are discussed.