Optimizing Risk Stratification and Noninvasive Diagnosis of Ischemic Heart Disease in Women

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is an important and previously underappreciated cause of significant morbidity and mortality in women. Key differences exist in the pathophysiology, sex-specific risk factors, and clinical presentation in women compared with men, which influence diagnostic accuracy and utility of pretest risk assessments and noninvasive testing. Women are disproportionately affected by ischemia from microvascular dysfunction as evidenced by having less obstructive coronary artery disease on angiography, contributing to the challenge in diagnosis and prognosis of IHD in women via conventional methods, which tend to emphasize detection of epicardial stenoses. In this article, we review the utility, evidence for, and challenges of currently available risk assessments and noninvasive cardiac diagnostic tests in women. We propose an approach to investigation of the symptomatic woman with suspected IHD and selection of the appropriate testing modality. Finally, we explore opportunities for future research and highlight the urgent need for updated, evidence-based, Canadian guidelines specific to women with IHD.