Gender differences in the severity and extent of coronary artery disease

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate whether women presenting with suspected angina would show less severe coronary artery disease in than men as determined by the extent score.MethodsWe examined 994 participants of the Australian Heart Eye Study presenting for coronary angiography in the investigation of chest pain from June 2009 to February 2012. People were excluded if there was a history of coronary artery bypass surgery, previous stenting procedure or incomplete angiogram scoring. An extent and vessel score was calculated using invasive coronary angiography. Normal coronary arteries were defined as having no luminal irregularity (Extent score=0). Obstructive coronary artery disease was defined as a luminal narrowing of greater than 50%.ResultsWomen compared to men without infarction had a lower burden of CAD with up to 50% having normal coronary arteries in the 30–44year group and 40% in the 45–59year group. Compared to men, women with chest pain had lower mean extent scores (19.6 vs 36.8; P<0.0001) and lower vessel scores (0.7 v 1.3; P