Sudden Death from Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection due to Polyarteritis Nodosa

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an emerging and rare cause of acute coronary syndrome and sudden cardiac death. While it was previously reported among young females with fibromuscular dysplasia, new literature indicates that this condition could occur in older populations. Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) causes systemic necrotizing vasculitis which typically affects small to medium-sized muscular arteries and could affect the coronary arteries. A few case reports of PAN causing acute coronary artery disease have been reported in the literature. We report a case of a 62-year-old lady who presented with abdominal pain and died abruptly during her stay; she was found to have PAN-associated SCAD on autopsy.