Gender Differences in Heart Disease

The Washington Post had an article today (hat tip to Business of Life blog) looking at a different form of heart disease in women as compared to men:

Instead of developing obvious blockages in the arteries supplying blood to the heart, these women accumulate plaque more evenly inside the major arteries and in smaller blood vessels, the researchers found. In other cases, their arteries fail to expand properly or go into spasm, often at times of physical or emotional stress.

These abnormalities, which appear to be particularly common in younger women, can be as dangerous as the better-known form of the disease, strangling vital blood flow to the heart muscle, causing severe and sometimes debilitating pain and fatigue, and sometimes triggering life-threatening heart attacks, the researchers found.

I find this article interesting as the doctors told me I had clear arteries but could have had a coronary spasm that resulted in a heart attack. I wonder what will happen to the many women out there that the study mentions that have this condition and don't even know it?