Sudden unexpected death in a middle-aged woman

Clinical presentation The patient was a woman in her 50s with a history of migraine and Raynaud’s disease. She had episodes of severe migraine that only partially responded to triptans, and worsened during pregnancy approximately 14 years prior, and also during the perimenopausal period approximately 2 years ago. After menopause, her migraines improved, occurred once a month, and responded well to triptans. She had elevated cholesterol. She had no known history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, autoimmune disease or connective tissue disease. She was not on hormonal replacement therapy. She was a non-smoker with a moderately active lifestyle. She consumed 1–2 alcoholic drinks weekly and denied any illicit drug use. She had a strong family history of migraine. Three weeks before her death, she had an annual physical examination that did not reveal any new medical conditions. She was found dead in her...
Source: Journal of Clinical Pathology - Category: Pathology Authors: Tags: Grand rounds Source Type: research