Cogan’s syndrome (CS) is a rare inflammatory disorder characterized by interstitial keratitis and vestibuloauditory abnormalities often associated with various systemic manifestations. Involvement of cardiovascular system resembling systemic vasculitis may lead to severe complications and death. The present report describes a case of a female patient with atypical Cogan's syndrome presented with systemic manifestations and severe coronary and femoral artery stenosis. Despite the clinical improvement after glucocorticoids and cyclophosphamide, the patient required double aortocoronal bypass grafting one year letter. During three years follow-up, she was in stable condition, without stenocardial symptoms and claudication and her inflammatory parameters remain normal. This case highlights the rare involvement of coronary arteries without associated large-vessel vasculitis of the aortic arch in CS.
Adult ; Cogan Syndrome ; complications ; Coronary Disease ; etiology ; Female ; Humans

The clinical prognostic importance of white coat hypertension (WCH), that is, the clinical condition characterized by an increase of office but a normal ambulatory or home blood pressure (BP) is since a long time matter of considerable debate. WCH accounts for a consistent portion of hypertensive patients (up to 30–40%), particularly when hypertension is mild or age is more advanced. Although scanty and inconsistent information is available on the response of office and out-office BP to antihypertensive treatment and the cardiovascular (CV) protection provided by treatment, an increasing body of evidence focusing on the association of WCH with CV risk factors, subclinical cardiac and extra-cardiac organ damage and, more importantly, with CV events indicates that the risk entailed by this condition is intermediate between true normotension and sustained hypertension. This review will address a number of issues concerning WCH with particular attention to prevalence and clinical correlates, relation with subclinical target organ damage and CV morbidity/mortality, therapeutic perspectives. Several topics covered in this review are based on data acquired over the past 20 years by the Pressioni Arteriose Monitorate E Loro Associazioni (PAMELA) study, a longitudinal survey performed by our group on the general population living in the surroundings of Milan area in the north part of Italy.
Blood Pressure ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Italy ; Longitudinal Studies ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; White Coat Hypertension

The clinical prognostic importance of white coat hypertension (WCH), that is, the clinical condition characterized by an increase of office but a normal ambulatory or home blood pressure (BP) is since a long time matter of considerable debate. WCH accounts for a consistent portion of hypertensive patients (up to 30–40%), particularly when hypertension is mild or age is more advanced. Although scanty and inconsistent information is available on the response of office and out-office BP to antihypertensive treatment and the cardiovascular (CV) protection provided by treatment, an increasing body of evidence focusing on the association of WCH with CV risk factors, subclinical cardiac and extra-cardiac organ damage and, more importantly, with CV events indicates that the risk entailed by this condition is intermediate between true normotension and sustained hypertension. This review will address a number of issues concerning WCH with particular attention to prevalence and clinical correlates, relation with subclinical target organ damage and CV morbidity/mortality, therapeutic perspectives. Several topics covered in this review are based on data acquired over the past 20 years by the Pressioni Arteriose Monitorate E Loro Associazioni (PAMELA) study, a longitudinal survey performed by our group on the general population living in the surroundings of Milan area in the north part of Italy.

Cogan's syndrome (CS) is a rare inflammatory disorder characterized by interstitial keratitis and vestibuloauditory abnormalities often associated with various systemic manifestations. Involvement of cardiovascular system resembling systemic vasculitis may lead to severe complications and death. The present report describes a case of a female patient with atypical Cogan's syndrome presented with systemic manifestations and severe coronary and femoral artery stenosis.Despite the clinical improvement after glucocorticoids and cyclophosphamide, the patient required double aortocoronal bypass grafting one year letter. During three years follow-up, she was in stable condition, without stenocardial symptoms and claudication and her inflammatory parameters remain normal. This case highlights the rare involvement of coronary arteries without associated large-vessel vasculitis of the aortic arch in CS.

The features of myocardial strains from speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) have not been well defined in fulminant myocarditis (FM) patients. In this study, changes in the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and global and layer-specific myocardial strains over time were monitored. We aimed to determine the echocardiographic patterns of FM and ascertain their significance in FM treatment. Twenty patients who were clinically diagnosed with FM and received mechanical life support were prospectively enrolled. Conventional echocardiographic measurements were obtained, and serial strain echocardiography was performed from admission to hospital discharge until LVEF recovery (> 50%). Global/regional peak systolic longitudinal strains (GLS/RLS) and layer-specific longitudinal strains were quantified, and their changes with time were monitored in 14 FM patients. All patients had severely impaired cardiac function. Steep improvement in LVEF and GLS were observed within 6 days. Layer-specific strain analysis showed that reduction at admission or recovery at discharge in the endocardium and epicardium strains were equal. In conclusion, FM patients who received mechanical circulatory supports exhibited steep improvement in ventricular function within 6 days. The patchy and diffused distribution pattern of reduced RLS and equally and severely impaired strain in the endocardium and epicardium are valuable features in the diagnosis of FM.