Time to Reconsidering the Potential Role of Leech Salivary Proteins in Medicine: Type-II Kounis Syndrome Triggered by Leech Bite
Year: 2024
Type: article
Study design: Case Report
Abstract: Kounis syndrome also known as allergic myocardial infarction, represents the simultaneous occurrence of acute coronary syndromes with allergic or hypersensitivity reactions. We present a case of a 58-years-old male who developed anaphylaxis following a leech bite, leading to myocardial infarction despite the absence of prior allergic history. He was entubated and cardiopulmonary resusciation had been performed for 10 minutes. The patient was successfully resuscitated and Intravenous antihistamine, prednisolone and adrenaline were given. The patient was stabilized and transferred to the intensive care unit and coronary angiography was performed, which revealed a 90% stenosis in the circumflex coronary artery. A stent was successfully implanted in the affected artery. This report emphasizes the complexity of diagnosing and managing Type-II Kounis syndrome and highlights the need for increased clinical awareness. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.41.1.10565 How to cite this: Tas S, Yildiz BS, Ersin A, Tas U. Time to Reconsidering the Potential Role of Leech Salivary Proteins in Medicine: Type-II Kounis Syndrome Triggered by Leech Bite. Pak J Med Sci. 2025;41(1):341-343. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.41.1.10565 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Institutions: Manisa Celal Bayar University, İzmir Demokrasi Üniversitesi
Language: English
Subfield: Pharmacology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $400
OpenAlex ID: W4405840688