The Mayo Clinic Diet Book, learn more

Free

E-newsletter

Subscribe to Housecall

Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.

Sign up now

Risk factors

By Mayo Clinic staff

Risk factors for small vessel disease include:

  • Tobacco use
  • High cholesterol
  • High blood pressure
  • Obesity (body mass index of 30 or higher)
  • Unhealthy diet
  • Inactive lifestyle
  • Diabetes
  • Insulin resistance
  • Being female
  • An estrogen deficiency, in women
  • Polycystic ovarian syndrome
  • Increasing age, older than 45 in men and older than 55 in women

It's not clear why the same risk factors, such as obesity or an inactive lifestyle, cause some people to develop small vessel disease instead of large vessel coronary artery disease.

Complications Causes
References
  1. Bairey Merz CN, et al. Syndrome X and microvascular coronary dysfunction. Circulation. 2011;124:1477.
  2. What is coronary microvascular disease? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cmd/cmd_all.html. Accessed March 5, 2013.
  3. Camici PC, et al. Coronary microvascular dysfunction. New England Journal of Medicine. 2007;356:830.
  4. Lanza GA, et al. Primary coronary microvascular dysfunction: Clinical presentation, pathophysiology, and management. Circulation. 2010;121:2317.
  5. Cholesterol. Mayo Medical Laboratories. http://www.mayomedicallaboratories.com/test-catalog/Clinical+and+Interpretive/8320. Accessed March 5, 2013.
  6. Topcu S, et al. Metformin therapy improves coronary microvascular function in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome and insulin resistance. Clinical Endocrinology. 2006;65:75.
  7. Kothawade K, et al. Microvascular coronary dysfunction in women-pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management. Current Problems in Cardiology. 2011;36:291.
  8. Littarru GP, et al. Clinical aspects of coenzyme Q10: An update. Nutrition. 2010;26:250.
  9. Gao L, et al. Effects of coenzyme Q10 on vascular endothelial function in humans: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Atherosclerosis. 2012;221:311.
  10. Teede HJ, et al. Endothelial function and insulin resistance in polycystic ovary syndrome: the effects of medical therapy. Fertility and Sterility. 2010; 93:184.
  11. EndoPat overview. Endopat.com. http://endopat.com/Home_Page.html. Accessed March 19, 2013.
  12. Grogan M (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. March 18, 2013.
DS01080 April 9, 2013

© 1998-2013 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

  • Reprints
  • Print

  • Share on:

  • Email

Advertisement


Text Size: smaller largerlarger