Non-Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease study to show your cardiologist

Artista
  • By Artista · January 15, 2013 at 1:20 pm · 3 replies
  • In Understanding microvascular disease
  • 0 Recommend      
    Options
    Options:
  • Shared with the public

Here is a study done just a few years ago (2010) from the European Society of cardiology on Non-Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease

Perhaps it will help my brothers and sisters across the pond, as this being the European Society of Cardiology, the doctors may have been heard of and respected by your cardiologists abroad. Daissy in Switzerland had been asking for some research to show docs. So check out this link to print if need be.

http://www.escardio.org/congresses/esc-2010/congress-reports/Pages/198-Crea .aspx

Highlights of it?? ~ "The common denominator of the three clinical cases is angina with normal coronary arteries. This condition is not unusual. Indeed, about 10-20% of patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome and about 20-30% of patients presenting with stable angina and inducible myocardial ischemia, exhibit angiographically normal coronary arteries or non obstructive coronary atherosclerosis."

it goes on to state some testing... but be aware, there are those of us who have still had difficulty showing ischemia. If you spasm, it can be hard to reproduce, hit or miss and usually it is this array of testing that may show something, somewhere. The real question at hand is treatment right away for the symptoms, however, since spotting this and tagging the Beast may prove costly and difficult. My Cardiac MRI, for example was "ok". You need proper technicians to read for microvascular or non-obstructive presentations.

Much Clarity and Light to All
Annette

Explore topics in this post

Explore topics in this post:

3 replies   

shannon66

Nice article, thanks for posting!!

Namaste,
Shannon

joanincarolina

Good article and for us here on this side of the Pond, this is the same end results of the extensive WISE study and NIH and researchers identifying a high number of women from this study with clear coronary arteries who still had complaints of chest pain and evidence of ischemia on some testing. They remain aware that this is debilitating for many women.
That information was released by NIH in 2005 and in a follow up interview with the Head of NIH Cardiology published in the Washington Post in January 2006. With the difficulties of reliable testing then and even now, and knowing that there was a lot to discover about this finding, Dr. Sopko stated that women should pay attention to their symptoms and return to their doctors. I see the problem today to be the same as in 2005; very few doctors know about this and are at a lost with no guidance to treat because research has not advanced to find the reason behind this dysfunction in the heart muscle.

An editorial written by a Japanese researcher a few years ago says it all: research has found nothing and patients are left to suffer.
Keep going back to your doctors and plead for the best and most minimum of care and that is for spasms and angina, both of which lead to pain and shortness of breath. There are medications for this. And if you are suspected as having this ailment then remember what microvascular endothelium dysfunction means: the inability of the microvessels to open to meet an increased cardiac demand. So don't push thru or ignore the pain and if asked, told, or encouraged to over exert, as in deliberate sustained exercise, and if you can do some, don't do it if it causes you pain and shortness of breath. Be careful. Hugs Joan.

daissy

Annette and Joan,
Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge.
Hugs
Daissy

This discussion is closed to replies. We close all discussions after 90 days.

If there's something you'd like to discuss, click below to start a new discussion.

Start a new discussion

Things you can do

Support WomenHeart

Help WomenHeart reach its goals and support people like yourself by making a donation today.

Donate to WomenHeart

Discussion topics

Heart health links and resources


The SCAD Ladies Stand Up -- Read the special report

Community leaders

Disclaimer

The information provided by this online support network through WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease and Inspire is for general informational purposes only. The information is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. If you are ill, or suspect that you are ill, see a doctor immediately. In an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease never recommends or endorses any specific physicians, products or treatments for any condition.