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Less plaque, but not less risk: a female paradox in coronary artery disease
8 mars 2026
By Elodie Vaz | Published on March 8, 2026 | 3 min readCardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and worldwide. According to the American Heart Association’s 2026 statistics, they caused 433,254 deaths among women, accounting for 47.3% of all cardiovascular deaths. Coronary artery disease is primarily driven by atherosclerosis, characterized b
By Elodie Vaz | Published on March 8, 2026 | 3 min read
Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and worldwide. According to the American Heart Association’s 2026 statistics, they caused 433,254 deaths among women, accounting for 47.3% of all cardiovascular deaths.
Coronary artery disease is primarily driven by atherosclerosis, characterized by the accumulation of plaques within the coronary arteries, which can lead to chest pain, myocardial infarction, or death. As International Women’s Day approaches on Sunday, March 8, previous research has shown that women generally have a lower prevalence and smaller volume of coronary plaques than men. This observation has sometimes been interpreted as suggesting a lower risk at comparable levels of atherosclerotic burden. A study published on February 23, 2026, in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging challenges this assumption.
Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and worldwide. According to the American Heart Association’s 2026 statistics, they caused 433,254 deaths among women, accounting for 47.3% of all cardiovascular deaths.
Coronary artery disease is primarily driven by atherosclerosis, characterized by the accumulation of plaques within the coronary arteries, which can lead to chest pain, myocardial infarction, or death. As International Women’s Day approaches on Sunday, March 8, previous research has shown that women generally have a lower prevalence and smaller volume of coronary plaques than men. This observation has sometimes been interpreted as suggesting a lower risk at comparable levels of atherosclerotic burden. A study published on February 23, 2026, in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging challenges this assumption.
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Scientific reference
Shah N. P., et al. Risk in women emerges at lower coronary plaque burden than in men: insights from the PROMISE trial. Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging. 2026. doi:10.1161/CIRCIMAGING.125.019011.
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