Nicholas Kounis

Nicholas George Kounis MD, PhD, FESC, FAHA, FACC (born in Patras, Greece) is a professor of cardiology in Patras Highest Institute of Education and technology Technological Educational Institute of Patras and an honorary consulting cardiologist at Karamandanion Children’s Hospital, Patras.

One of his main contributions to medical science is the "Kounis syndrome," the name given to "anaphylactic CHD in patients with drug eluting coronary stents as well as to "acute coronary syndromes associated with allergic, hypersensitivity, anaphylactic or anaphylactoid insults"

Kounis syndrome

“The concurrence of acute coronary syndromes with conditions associated with mast cell activation, involving interrelated and interacting inflammatory cells, and including allergic or hypersensitivity and anaphylactic or anaphylactoid insults”. “It is caused by inflammatory mediators such as histamine, neutral proteases, arachidonic acid products, platelet activating factor and a variety of cytokines and chemokines released during the activation process”

Kounis syndrome variants

Type I variant: includes patients with normal coronary arteries without predisposing factors for coronary artery disease in whom the acute release of inflammatory mediators can induce either coronary artery spasm without increase of cardiac enzymes and troponins or coronary artery spasm progressing to acute myocardial infarction with raised cardiac enzymes and troponins

Type II variant: includes patients with culprit but quiescent pre-existing atheromatous disease in whom the acute release of inflammatory mediators can induce either coronary artery spasm with normal cardiac enzymes and troponins or plaque erosion or rupture manifesting as acute myocardial infarction

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Prof Nicholas Kounis received his MD (Medical Diploma) and PhD from Athens Medical School with a thesis entitled “Contribution to the prevention and treatment of chronic thromboembolism with a new regimen including : Arvin, phenformin and orabolin”.

Selected publications

1. Iliacus hematoma syndrome: Kounis N G, Macauley MB, Ghorbal MS. Iliacus haematoma syndrome. Can Med Ass J 1975; 112: 872-873
2. Cardiopathia Fantastica: Kounis NG. Munchausen syndrome with cardiac symptoms. Cardiopathia fantastica. Br J Clin Pract 1979; 33: 77-72
3. Kounis syndrome: Kounis NG. Kounis syndrome (allergic angina and allergic myocardial infarction). A natural paradigm? Int J Cardiol 2006;110: 7-14