Small Vessel Heart Disease: Mostly a Concern for Women

	Tweet

Coronary artery disease may take a different course in men and women, which may explain why the rate of death for women has declined more slowly than for men, according to the October issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter.

Several landmark studies published in the last year indicate that more women than men suffer from microvascular, or small vessel, heart disease, where the heart’s tiniest vessels become clogged or narrowed, limiting blood supply to the heart. 

These tiny clogged vessels don’t show up on standard diagnostic tests, and doctors may assume that symptoms such as fatigue, light-headedness, or chest, neck or shoulder pain are caused by something other than heart disease. Yet, for some patients—more often women—these symptoms can develop into recurrent chest pain, a heart attack or heart failure.

Mayo Clinic doctors recommend additional testing for people with coronary artery disease symptoms and no indication of clogged arteries on a coronary angiogram—the diagnostic tool for visualizing narrowing or blockage in the large coronary arteries.

Additional tests include positron emission tomography (PET), a noninvasive imaging test that can suggest, but not diagnose, microvascular disease. The gold standard test for microvascular disease is an endothelial dysfunction test, a special type of coronary angiogram. It involves placing a tiny wire called a Doppler wire inside a coronary artery and measuring blood flow.

Research on microvascular disease continues. Until more is known, be aware of heart disease symptoms. Seek diagnosis and treatment when symptoms occur and talk to your doctor about testing for microvascular disease. 

RELATED STORIES:
Scientists turn skin cells into beating heart muscle   Too many people get angioplasties, study suggests   New Blood Thinner May Lower Chances of Clots in High-Risk Heart Patients: FDA   Heart Damage After Chemo Linked to Stress in Cardiac Cells   What’s good or bad for the heart, may be the same for the brain   Warfarin in Heart Failure   Increased Sudden Cardiac Death Rate Among HIV Patients   Air pollution level changes in Beijing linked with biomarkers of cardiovascular disease   Lack of basic evidence hampering prevention of sudden heart attacks in sport   Blacks Less Likely to Get Help on Scene After Cardiac Arrest: Study   Heart attack patients taken to PCI hospitals first treated faster   Cameron Health’s under-skin ICD safe, effective

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]