Two young men with STEMI in Rwanda: a case report

Cases: A 34-year-old and a 48-year-old man presented to a referral hospital in Rwanda with chest pain. ECG demonstrated anterior wall ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Because reperfusion therapy was unavailable, the patients received standard medical therapy with dual antiplatelet therapy, anticoagulation, beta blocker, and statin, and were discharged home in good condition.
Discussion: These cases demonstrate the need for epidemiologic data on acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in Rwanda. These cases were unusual because of the young age of the patients who possessed the sole risk factor of past smoking. This raises the hypothesis of unrecognized risk factors for ACS in Africans. The lack of reperfusion therapy will likely result in increased morbidity and decreased productivity during the lives of these men and other young Rwandese who suffer from myocardial infarction.

Keywords
Acute coronary syndrome; ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction; Rwanda; Sub-Saharan Africa; reperfusion therapy; epidemiology; tobacco use; ECG; Case Report