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By Mayo Clinic staffIf you're having chest pains, you should see your doctor. Usually, your doctor won't immediately check for small vessel disease based on your symptoms. Because large vessel coronary artery disease and small vessel disease have the same signs and symptoms, it's likely you'll be tested for large vessel coronary artery disease by checking the main arteries in your heart first. If no problems are found, then your doctor may do additional tests for small vessel disease.
To diagnose small vessel disease, you'll need a complete physical exam. Your doctor will also ask you about your medical history and any family history of heart disease. Your doctor will likely check your cholesterol levels to see if high cholesterol could be clogging your arteries and causing chest pain. You'll need to fast for nine to 12 hours before your cholesterol test to get the most accurate results. Your doctor should tell you before your appointment if this will be necessary.
Be sure to tell your doctor about any medications or supplements you take during your appointment. Some medications to treat small vessel disease could interact with those you currently take, causing side effects.
- Mayo Clinic Health Letter. "Small vessel heart disease." October 2007. Vol. 25, No. 10, pp. 1-3.
- Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource. "Small vessel heart disease." February 2008. Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 1-2
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. "What is coronary microvascular disease?" September 2007. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cmd/cmd_all.html (Viewed 4-22-08).
- Camici PC, Crea F. Coronary microvascular dysfunction. New England Journal of Medicine. 2007, Vol. 356, pp. 830-840.
- Playford DA, et al. Combined effect of coenzyme Q10 and fenofibrate on forearm microcirculatory function in type 2 diabetes. Atherosclerosis. 2003, Vol. 168, pp. 169-179.
- Tiano L, et al. Effect of coenzyme Q10 administration on endothelial function and extracellular superoxide dismutase in patients with ischaemic heart disease: a double-blind, randomized controlled study. European Heart Journal. 2007, Vol. 28, pp. 2249-2255.
- Kurth T, et al. Migraine and ischaemic vascular events. Cephalalgia. 2007;27(8):965-975.
- Barrett BJ, et al. Differences in hormonal and renal vascular responses between normotensive patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and unaffected family members. Kidney International. 1994;46(4):1118-1123.
- Schoenfeld Y, et al. Accelerated Atherosclerosis in Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases. Circulation. 2005;112(21):3337-3347.
