Early onset Dressler's syndrome--a study of fifteen cases.

Fifteen out of 612 acute myocardial infarction patients who had onset of features of post-myocardial infarction (Dressler's) syndrome between the 3rd and 21st post-infarction days were studied. All had pericardial rub and raised ESR, 86.6% had fever, 73.3% had arthralgia and 66.7% had pleuro-pericardial pain. Early onset Dressler's syndrome (EODS) was found to be more common in anterior wall myocardial infarction, to occur earlier in second infarctions and in diabetics, and to occur most commonly between the 6th and 10th post-infarction days. It was concluded that EODS is an occasional cause for recurrent chest pain after acute myocardial infarction.