title: Long-term prognosis of patients with cardiac syndrome X: a review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Follow-up studies of patients with cardiac syndrome X (CSX) generally report good prognosis. However, some recent studies report an adverse outcome for women.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Structured literature search and meta-analysis for studies regarding prognosis of cardiac syndrome X patients. We identified 85 studies, ultimately selecting 16 for inclusion. Meta-analysis yielded a pooled major cardiac event percentage of 1.5% per 5 years and a pooled vascular event percentage of 4.8% per 5 years (n = 16 studies, n = 1694 patients). Fourteen studies reported upon the recurrence rate of angina pectoris: the pooled percentage of angina recurrence was 55% (n = 1336 patients).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present review of recent archival literature demonstrates an overall major cardiac event rate of 1.5% per 5 years. Although this is an excellent prognosis for CSX patients, the quality of life is impaired because of the high recurrence rate of angina pectoris (55%).
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Verbeeten Institute, PO Box 90120, 5000 LA, Tilburg, the Netherlands, rutten.i@bvi.nl.
authors.forename: I A C
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Vermeltfoort
authors.forename: G J J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Teule
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: van Dijk
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Muntinga
authors.forename: P G H M
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Raijmakers