Coronary microvascular disease, also known as
small vessel disease, is a condition in which the walls of the small arteries in the heart are damaged.
Women are
more frequently develop coronary microvascular disease (MVD) than men, especially
younger women.
Diagnosing coronary MVD is always a challenge for us, because standard tests used to diagnose coronary heart disease are not designed to detect coronary MVD.
Sometimes, coronary MVD can trigger
complications such as coronary artery spasm, heart attack, congestive heart failure, etc.
Causes
Risk factors that can cause atherosclerosis may also cause coronary microvascular disease, which include:
- High blood pressure
- Tobacco use
- Unhealthy blood cholesterol levels
- Older age
- Family history of heart disease
- Unhealthy diet
- Inactive lifestyle
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Insulin resistance
- Chronic inflammation
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome
- Estrogen deficiency, in women
Symptoms
Women with coronary MVD usually have chest pain called angina, which often lasts longer than 10 minutes or even longer than 30 minutes. Other
symptoms and signs of it are:
- Shortness of breath
- Sleeping problems
- Fatigue or tiredness
- Lack of energy
- Discomfort in the left arm, jaw, neck, back or abdomen
Treatments
The treatment for coronary MVD usually involves medications to control the narrowing of your small blood vessels and to relieve pain. So the
prescribed medicines are:
- Beta blockers: They are used to slow the heart rate and decrease blood pressure
- Calcium channel blockers
- Statins
- Aspirin: It can treat inflammation and prevent blood clots.
- Ranolazine (Ranexa): It can ease chest pain through altering sodium and calcium levels.
Keywords: coronary microvascular disease; small vessel disease; coronary microvascular disease symptoms; causes coronary microvascular disease; coronary microvascular disease treatments; treat coronary microvascular disease.
