Kounis syndrome is an underdiagnosed medical condition and represents acute coronary syndrome in the setting of allergic reaction. With the increasing prevalence of allergic reactions, more cases of Kounis syndrome are being reported in the literature. Recognizing patients with acute coronary syndrome during an episode of anaphylaxis may be difficult due to symptom overlap; hence, a high index of suspicion must be maintained. This is vital as the management of Kounis syndrome requires meticulous use of medications as some pharmacological agents beneficial to acute coronary syndrome may be detrimental for the ongoing anaphylaxis and vice versa. We report a case of type 2 variant of Kounis syndrome following severe anaphylaxis to nuts to highlight the need for clinicians to suspect Kounis syndrome when managing patients with anaphylaxis and chest symptoms.
Keywords: acute coronary syndrome; allergic vasospastic angina; allergy and anaphylaxis; anginal chest pain; coronary artery disease; kounis syndrome; myocardial infarction; non-st segment elevation myocardial infarction (nstemi); nut allergy.
Copyright © 2021, Clemen et al.