Sudden cardiac death and thymic hyperplasia in adults: myth or reality? A case report

Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences

Case Report

Marco Matteo Ciccone¹  Biagio Solarino²  Simona Nicolì²  Davide Ferorelli²  Marcello Benevento²  Andrea Marzullo³ 

[1]Section of Cardiovascular Diseases, Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation (DETO), University of Bari, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy

[2]Section of Legal Medicine, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM), University of Bari, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy

[3]Section of Pathology, Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation (DETO), University of Bari, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy

关键词: Sudden cardiac death;    Atrioventricular node fibrosis;    Heart dissection;    Thymic death;    Forensic Pathology;    Forensic Medicine;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s41935-023-00357-y

 received in 2023-03-11, accepted in 2023-07-26,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundSudden cardiac death is a major public health concern. The incidence of sudden cardiac death in young adults remains unclear and is generally underestimated.Case presentationThis is a case report of a 24-year-old man with a silent pathological history, who suddenly collapsed in a restaurant during dinner with his workmates. Autopsy and ancillary examination revealed focal atrioventricular node fibrosis and thymic hyperplasia.ConclusionsThymic hyperplasia has been considered a cause of sudden death in the past century. The mode of death was explained through nosographic entities such as status lymphaticus or thymic asthma, which are currently consigned to history books. Nevertheless, recent studies have sought to determine the relationship between thymic hyperplasia and sudden unexpected deaths in adults. Moreover, isolated fibrosis of the atrioventricular node is a rare condition that can remain undiagnosed even after a full autopsy. This report aims to provide a concise review of the existing literature concerning sudden cardiac death and discuss the so-called “thymic death” theory, which is now considered a myth. Was the finding of thymic hyperplasia and atrioventricular node fibrosis a coincidence? Should the myth surrounding “thymic death” be re-examined?

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© International Association of Law and Forensic Sciences 2023

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