Watch out! Erosion of coronary arteries is more likely to occur in women

Medical Video: Atherosclerosis (2009)

In recent years, cardiologists have known that coronary artery erosion or coronary artery erosion (CAD) that occurs in women who are different from CAD that occurs in men. The symptoms that appear in women can also be different. Diagnostic tests that are usually used to determine CAD disease can provide information that is 'wrong' to women, and the main causes of the disease can also be different.

Currently more significant new findings have emerged to explain the differences in CAD symptoms in women and men.

Recently researchers have found facts in young women, who suddenly die from coronary thrombosis (blood clots that form in the coronary arteries and can clog blood flow). Clumping of fatal blood can be different from the situation with male victims, who also experience sudden death.

How does coronary thrombosis occur?

Generally, acute coronary syndromes can be caused by rupture of atherosclerotic plaques. This triggers 'gunk' inside plaque (cholesterol, calcium, blockage of cells, and other ingredients) into the bloodstream which can trigger clotting.

If clotting causes perfect (or almost perfect) obstruction of coronary arteries, blood flow to the part of the heart muscle provided by the artery will not function. This obstruction can cause a heart attack (also known as myocardial infarction), and if it happens too often can cause sudden death of heart function.

New differences in women who have coronary artery disease

The latest findings reveal the fact that in women under 50 years of age (generally in the premenopausal phase), it occurs plaque rupture sometimes not caused by blood clots.

However, instead, freezing can be triggered by erosion that occurs in the walls of blood vessels.

What are the differents between rupture (broken) and erosion (erosion)?

The difference is the plaque rupture is analogous to popping pimples. (In fact, the material inside is not entirely the same as the material inside atherosclerotic plaque) However, erosion is more like shallow ulcer - a plaque related to erosion may be quite small, or may not exist at all. Erosion, like plaque rupture, can cause the formation of blood clots.

What is the meaning of this new invention?

These new findings can explain why most women can be more at risk than men, even though they both have coronary thrombosis. This is caused by freezing formed due to erosion which is sometimes more dangerous than the freezing that is formed due to rupture. Erosion clots do not form suddenly, which means that clots can have time to grow. So, when this causes obstruction, this event will be very difficult to make back to normal.

Furthermore, coronary artery erosion is very difficult or even impossible to see when cardiac catheterization occurs or stress / thallium testing. Thus, coronary artery erosion is currently still seen as another form of coronary artery disease associated with "normal" coronary arteries.

Who can get coronary artery erosion?

Coronary artery erosion is a condition that is almost always seen in women who are in the premenopausal phase, and also occurs in women who smoke. Thus, besides being a risk factor for everyone's health, smoking is also the most important risk factor for coronary artery erosion disease.

Coronary after erosion can also affect women who repeatedly experience coronary artery spasms, such as Prinzmental’s angina.

At present it is increasingly seen that CAD that occurs in young women is different from classic CAD disease that occurs in older women and also in men. The discovery of this fact leads to efforts to get a full understanding of these differences and determine effective strategies for undergoing treatment.

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