Cardiac syndrome X

In the 70s, scientists were left scratching their heads when patients experiencing angina-like chest pains didn't appear to have narrowings or blockages in the coronary arteries – the usual cause of angina. The condition got its name after a study of patients with chest pain carried out by researchers Robert Arbogast and Martial Bourassa produced some puzzling results. In one group, there were electrocardiogram (ECG) signs of coronary heart diseasedespite the fact they had normal coronary angiograms – this group was referred to as group X in the study. In 1973 Dr Harvey Kemp coined the term “syndrome X”, which later evolved into “cardiac syndrome X”. It is now more commonly known as microvascular angina, and thought to be an abnormality of the tiny arteries in the heart. It is a separate condition to Prinzmetal Angina although both conditions are more common in women than men.