Less plaque in women's arteries doesn't seem to protect them from heart disease compared to men, according to a study published today in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging , a journal of the American Heart Association.
While heart disease is the leading cause of illness and death in the U.S. and worldwide, according to the 2026 American Heart Association Heart and Stroke Statistics , women tend to have lower prevalence of artery calcification than men, according to previous research.
This study analyzed health data from more than 4,200 adults (more than half of whom were women) to compare how plaque burden affects the risk of serious heart disease. The study included people with stable chest pain and no history of coronary artery disease. Participants underwent randomized diagnostic testing using coronary computed tomography angiography (imaging of the heart and blood vessels) and were followed for about two years.
Key Study Findings:
- Fewer women than men had plaque in their coronary arteries (55% of women vs. 75% of men). Women also had a lower volume of plaque in their arteries than men (median 78 mm³ in women vs. 156 mm³ in men).
- Despite having less plaque, women were just as likely as men to die from any cause, have a non-fatal heart attack, or be hospitalized for chest pain (2.3% of women vs. 3.4% of men).
- Furthermore, women had an increased risk of heart disease at lower levels of plaque burden compared to men. Relative to the total plaque burden, risk began to increase in women at 20% plaque burden, compared to 28% in men. As plaque burden increased, risk increased significantly more in women than in men.
