Abstract

Abstract Introduction Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an important and underreported cause of acute coronary syndrome in women. SCAD has been linked to arteriopathy, pregnancy, as well as hormone replacement therapy in cisgender patients. There is a scarcity of data on the long-term cardiovascular effects of gender affirming hormonal therapy (GAHT) with estrogen. Observational studies have shown increased thromboembolic disease and cardiovascular events in transwomen on estrogen, with oral synthetic or oral combined equine estrogens showing a higher association versus transdermal formulations, however there had been no reports of SCAD in transgender patients on GAHT. Clinical Case A 37-year old transwoman with a history of gender affirming orchiectomy on GAHT with sublingual estradiol 2 mg BID presented with typical symptoms of acute coronary syndrome. No prior history of chest pain. No personal history or family history of cardiovascular disease or risk factors. Initial Troponin I was 9.52 ng/dl (<0. 04 ng/dl), ECG with non-specific ST-changes. A transthoracic echocardiogram showed hypokinesis of the mid anterior and lateral wall. She underwent urgent cardiac catheterization, found to have SCAD of her ramus intermedius. Given the size of the lesion and wall motion abnormalities, a cutting balloon was used to inflate the lesion, and she remained chest pain free during the hospitalization. She was started on Aspirin, Clopidogrel, and Metoprolol. Sublingual estradiol was determined to be her only predisposing risk factor and therefore it was held during her hospitalization and during the lesion healing period, with plans to change to a constant transdermal estrogen patch in the primary care setting. Discussion This is the first case report showing an association of estrogen GAHT and SCAD in a transwoman. SCAD has been observed to occur more often in cisgender women during the late luteal phase and post-partum period, raising the hypothesis that estrogen level fluctuations could potentially play a role. Sublingual estradiol has been shown to have higher peak and trough serum concentration compared to oral estradiol. Research is needed in this area and on the potential adverse cardiovascular effects of GAHT and whether route of estrogen administration plays a role. We support transdermal estradiol in transwomen with or at risk of cardiovascular disease, and close monitoring of serum levels, as well as aggressive treatment of cardiovascular risk factors. Presentation: No date and time listed

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