Sudden death as sole symptom of coronary arteritis.

A 33-year old man suddenly dropped dead during a military march. He had complained of non-specific thoracoabdominal symptoms, pain and fatigue for a year before his death. Autopsy showed coronary polyarteritis nodosa of the left main coronary artery. This patient seems to be only the second case with isolated polyarteritis nodosa leading to sudden death reported in the literature.