Coronary arteriographic findings in 1,000 women under age 50.

In a consecutive series of 1,000 women under age 50 examined by coronary cinearteriography principally for evaluation of chest pain, 236 had at least 50 percent narrowing of one or more coronary arteries. The youngest, and the only patient who died, was 26 years old. The anterior descending coronary artery was the vessel most frequently involved; the right coronary artery was most often totally occluded. The amount of arterial involvement seemed to be related to the duration of symptoms. Only 10 percent of women with serum cholesterol levels under 200 mg/100 ml had significant coronary artery disease, whereas 44 percent of those with levels over 275 mg/100 ml had significant disease. Electrocardiographic evidence of myocardial infarction was uncommon in women with single vessel disease, but left ventriculograms disclosed that additional patients had areas of decreased contractility. Eleven of 46 women with electrocardiographically diagnosed myocardial infarction had no significant coronary artery disease. The cause of the electrocardiographic finding remained obscure in some. Although there was an excellent correlation of clinical diagnoses with arteriographic findings in women thought not to have angina pectoris, only half of those thought to have angina pectoris had significant coronary artery disease. This finding may be a major reason for recommending coronary arteriography for the evaluation of angina-like pain in women under age 50.