Coronary artery disease in young women: clinical and angiographic features and correlation with risk factors

Coronary arteriography was performed because of suspected coronary disease in 239 women less than 45 years of age. Normal coronary arteries were found in 112 women, and a further 23 had insignificant stenosis (less than 50 percent narrowing of luminal diameter). Of the remaining 104 women, 56 had one vessel, 22 two vessel and 26 three vessel disease. Hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, smoking and a family history of coronary disease were significantly more frequent in women with significant stenosis than in women with normal arteries. Significant coronary disease was found in 55 percent (100 of 182) of women with more than two risk factors but in only 7 percent (4 of 57) of those with less than two risk factors (P less than 0.0001). Evaluation of symptoms and the resting electrocardiogram also discriminated between women with and without coronary disease, but exercise testing was of little value. Only 4 of the 46 women with previous myocardial infarction had normal or near-normal coronary arteries. Among women with segmental wall motion abnormalities on ventriculography, the site was anterior in 90 percent (19 of 21) of women who used oral contraceptive drugs but in only 60 percent (21 of 35) of nonusers (P less than 0.05). However, in most respects, coronary artery disease in young women does not appear to differ from coronary disease in other patients.