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Article: Small vessel malady bane to women.(Heart Disease)(Brief article)
- Article from:
- USA TODAY
- Article date:
- October 1, 2008
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Society for the Advancement of Education. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Why do more females than males die of heart disease, and why do some women with heart disease fare less well than men after treatment to open large coronary arteries? According to researchers at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., the answer may be small vessel heart disease, an often unrecognized problem that poses a high risk of heart attack or heart failure.
Coronary arteries on the outer surface of the heart branch into many smaller vessels, which supply blood directly to the heart's muscle tissue. Normally, these vessels expand when the heart needs more blood--during exercise or stress. With small vessel heart disease, the vessels fail to expand properly and ...