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About Microvascular Disease

Coronary microvascular disease affects the smallest arteries within the heart and can be difficult to diagnose because healthy large arteries can be presnt along with unhealthy small arteries in theheart. Realizing this, doctors often try to diagnose coronary microvascular disease with a Duke Activity Status Index to help measure the difficulty that a person may have completing daily activities. Coronary microvascular disease is more common among women than men.

  1. Causes

    • One of the most common causes of microvascular disease is the build up of plaque within the heart's small arteries. If plaque builds up within arteries, it reduces blood flow and oxygen to the heart. With coronary microvascular disease, plaque can build up evenly, randomly, or block small heart arteries entirely. Coronary microvascular disease can also be caused by artery spasms, which can cause oxygen-rich blood from moving within arteries. Damaged or diseased artery walls can also cause the disease.

    Symptoms

    • Symptoms include angina or chest pain, a feeling of squeezing or pressure in the chest, shortness of breath, extreme sweating, arm pain, and shoulder pain. Women may also experience sleep problems and extreme fatigue.

    Risk Factors

    • Risk factors for coronary microvascular disease are the same risk factors for coronary artery disease. These risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, lack of exercise, diets high in saturated fat, age, and a history of heart disease in a person's family.

    Misconceptions

    • Confusing coronary microvascular disease with coronary artery disease is not uncommon. Coronary artery disease results in the blockage of major arteries that lead to the heart. However, coronary microvascular disease only results in the heart's smallest arteries being affected. Coronary microvascular disease does not always result in blockages as coronary artery disease does. For this reason, coronary micro vascular disease is often called nonobstructive coronary artery disease.

    Prevalence

    • Approximately 3 million women in the United States are affected by coronary microvascular disease, according to the Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation. Statistics on males affected by microvascular disease are not readily available.

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