LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Doctors know how to spot blockages in large arteries when someone is experiencing heart attack symptoms, but blockages in smaller heart vessels often go unnoticed. Women are much more likely to experience this type of heart disease called coronary microvascular insufficiency.

As CEO of WomenHeart.Org, Selina Gore champions heart disease awareness for women. So when the bloating and fatigue in her neck became severe, she was “convinced she had a blockage in her neck,” she said.

She went straight to the hospital nearly a dozen times, only to be sent home without being diagnosed.

“The conclusion of the ER document was that I was having a particularly rough day,” Gore said.

Normally, doctors only examine large arteries to check for disease, but the problem was with Goret’s small blood vessels. Because coronary microvascular dysfunction occurs almost exclusively in women, studies have shown that gender makes a difference in testing and treatment. CMD often goes undiagnosed, but this is a simple test.

“So it’s very simple. It’s an additional five to seven minutes on top of a normal diagnostic cardiac catheterization,” said Dr. Hader Hashim, an interventional cardiac specialist at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. Ta.

CMD occurs when the lining of the heart’s smallest artery becomes damaged, causing spasms that block blood flow.

Symptoms of CMD vary, but the most common are chest pain, shortness of breath, and fatigue.

While researchers are investigating new treatments, managing CMD includes controlling blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes, losing weight, and quitting smoking if you are a smoker.

Because CMD is not an official diagnosis, testing for CMD is not routine. Mr. Hashim recently successfully testified before the Centers for Disease Control to change this.

“The CDC has approved the recognition of this capillary microcirculation disease as a diagnosis, effective October 1, 2023,” Hashim said.

That’s good news for Gore and the 65 percent of heart patients with CMD who would otherwise go undiagnosed and untreated.

Researchers are compiling a registry of symptoms and diagnoses for coronary microvascular disease that could soon become a national database providing more information to clinicians.

more: What women can do to reduce their risk of heart disease