title: Clinical characteristics and follow-up of patients with chest pain and normal coronary arteries.
abstract: The authors identified 160 men and women from all 3,700 patients with anginal pain between 1990 and 1994 who were subsequently found to have normal coronary arteries at diagnostic cardiac catheterization with follow-up to the present (mean follow-up 2.5 years). The group comprised 50 women and 110 men. Mean age was significantly greater in women (53.1 +/- 7.7 vs 47.2 +/- 9.2 years, p<0.001). Forty percent of the women but only 10% of the men had a positive exercise test. At follow-up, a larger proportion of patients continue to experience chest pain (95 patients, 59%) of whom 65 patients (41%) continue antianginal therapy. Furthermore one patient suffered a sudden cardiac death and two patients had a nonfatal myocardial infarction. Of patients referred with chest pain, women were more likely to have normal coronary arteries, compared with men. All patients have an excellent prognosis. A large proportion of women had a positive exercise test in the absence of coronary artery disease. On the other hand, morbidity remains high in these patients, despite the reassurance of a normal-appearing coronary arteriogram.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Tzanio State Hospital, Piraeus, Greece.
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Foussas
authors.forename: E N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Adamopoulou
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Kafaltis
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fakiolas
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Olympios
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pisimissis
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Siogas
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pappas
authors.forename: D V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Cokkinos
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sideris
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000367:Age Factors; D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D017566:Microvascular Angina / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000209:etiology; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology