title: Postmortem Examinations for the Etiological Identification of Juvenile Coronary Arteriosclerosis.
abstract: The postmortem of suddenly deceased younger adults sometimes reveals that they experienced manifest coronary arteriosclerosis. We looked at 21 cases where stenosis of the coronary arteries was at least 50%. We supplemented our postmortem findings and the results from the postmortem identification of the lipid metabolism parameters with anamnestic details. We also conducted a genetic analysis. The risk factors such as smoking and family history were relatively frequent. In most of our cases, the postmortems showed significantly deviating lipid metabolism parameters. Compared to these findings, the genetic analyses only showed a clearly increased presence of APOE genotypes 3/4, whereas we observed no abnormalities in relation to the LDL receptor. The study results illustrate the multifactor genesis of premature coronary arteriosclerosis. Despite these limitations, the unexpected finding of juvenile coronary arteriosclerosis should entail an effort to establish the individual risk factors involved as this can provide vital information for medically advising other members of the family on their hereditary risks.
authors.affiliation: From the *Institute of Legal Medicine, Halle/S. University Hospital, Halle (Saale); and †Clinic for Internal Medicine-Cardiology, Giessen and Marburg University Hospital, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heide
authors.forename: Rüdiger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lessig
authors.forename: Verena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Diers
authors.forename: Jürgen R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Schaefer
authors.forename: Muhidin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soufi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D023921:Coronary Stenosis / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D053803:Forensic Genetics; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications; D011973:Receptors, LDL / Q000235:genetics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D002784:Cholesterol; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D008055:Lipids; D011973:Receptors, LDL; C517652:hemoglobin A1c protein, human