Severe angina linked to heart risk in women

Canadian researchers have found that women who have the most serious form of angina are three times as likely to develop severe coronary artery disease (CAD) as men with the same condition.

The researchers looked at the records of 23,771 patients referred for first diagnostic angiography over a six-year period.

They found that women over the age of 60 with CCS Class IV angina (as defined by the Canadian Cardiovascular Society) faced a 21 per cent higher absolute risk of developing CAD than men.

The trend was robust, even in younger women under 60, who faced an 11 per cent higher absolute risk than men in the same age group.