This autopsy study demonstrates that coronary atherosclerosis in women increases with age until the eighth decade and is associated with cardiac hypertrophy, diabetes, and higher body weight.
The degree of coronary artery atherosclerosis present in 600 hearts obtained from women, 100 in each of the decades from 30 through 89 years, was determined by one observer. Coronary atherosclerosis increased with age until the eighth decade when the atherosclerosis tended to level off. Cardiac hypertrophy and diabetes were associated with increased degrees of atherosclerosis. Hearts from the undernourished exhibited less atherosclerosis than did hearts from average weight or overweight individuals. A comparison with data compiled on 600 hearts from men by White and associates has been included.
Ackerman et al. (Thu,) studied this question.