title: Women have less severe and extensive coronary atherosclerosis in fatal cases of ischemic heart disease: an autopsy study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study aims to evaluate sex differences in extent and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) and myocardial findings at autopsy among young people with fatal ischemic heart disease (IHD).
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Women with acute coronary syndrome are less likely than men to display obstructive CAD at angiography. This suggests unique mechanisms of acute coronary syndrome exist in women or may reflect prehospital death of women with the most severe CAD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Reports of autopsies by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New York City on people aged 21 to 54 years who died between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2008, were reviewed. A total of 639 cases of death due to atherosclerotic or arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease according to the medical examiner were analyzed. Significant CAD was defined as ≥75% cross-sectional area stenosis in an epicardial vessel or ≥50% left main.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women were less likely to have obstructive CAD (63% vs 77% of men, P = .002). There was pathologic evidence of myocardial infarction (MI) in 43% of cases, 17% of which had nonobstructive CAD. Frequency of MI did not vary by sex overall (38% of women vs 45% of men, P = .18) or among those without significant CAD (23% vs 29%, P = .45).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among young people determined at autopsy to have died of IHD, fewer women had obstructive CAD, consistent with angiographic data in other IHD syndromes. Pathologic evidence of MI may exist in the absence of obstructive CAD.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center, New York University School of Medicine, NY 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Nathaniel R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Smilowitz
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Sampson
authors.forename: Christopher R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Abrecht
authors.forename: Jonathan S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Siegfried
authors.forename: Judith S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hochman
authors.forename: Harmony R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Reynolds
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors