Young women presenting with chronic mesenteric ischemia--two case reports.

Chronic mesenteric ischemia is primarily a disease of the elderly, who have widespread atherosclerosis of the celiac, superior mesenteric, and inferior mesenteric arteries. Risk factors include smoking, vasculitis, fibromuscular dysplasia, and arterial dissection. Presented here are 2 cases of women under age 50 years burdened with this condition, owing primarily to advanced arteriosclerosis. These cases illustrate a need for increased awareness of mesenteric ischemia as a cause for postprandial abdominal pain in young patients with other stigmata of advanced arterial occlusive disease.