Acute myocardial infarction in sickle cell anemia

Cardiovascular dysfunction consistent with ischemia has been observed during episodes of painful crisis and following periods of heavy physical exertion in individuals with sickle cell disease. Similar findings have been observed in other individuals while taking the alpha-adrenergic agonist pseudoephedrine. However, acute myocardial infarction is extremely rare. The authors describe a case of sudden death in a child with sickle cell disease due to acute myocardial infarction and suggest that heavy exertional stress and use of pseudoephedrine may have precipitated the event.