Impaired Coronary Vascular Reactivity and Functional Capacity in Women: Results From the NHLBI Women’s Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE) Study Original Research Article

Objectives We investigated the relationship between coronary vascular reactivity and functional capacity as assessed from the Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) in a cohort of women evaluated for suspected ischemia. Background Reduced functional capacity and impaired vascular reactivity are associated with poor prognosis, but an association between vascular reactivity and functional capacity is unknown. Methods A total of 190 women enrolled in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-sponsored Women’s Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE) study had baseline clinical assessment and coronary artery flow velocity response to adenosine (CFVRado). We compared these results with self-reported DASI metabolic equivalents (METs). Results Mean age was 55 ± 11 years (range 21 to 83 years), and only 18% had coronary stenosis ≥50%. Women with a CFVRado <2.5 (n = 98) had mean DASI of 15.1 ± 13.6, compared to women (n = 92) with CFVRado ≥2.5, whose mean DASI was 21.0 ± 15.2 (p = 0.004). This relationship was maintained after adjusting for age and presence of coronary artery disease. CFVRado of ≥2.5 was associated with a DASI of >20 (odds ratio 3.03, 95% confidence interval 1.56 to 5.90, p = 0.001). Conclusions Women with reduced CFVRado were significantly more likely to have reduced functional capacity. Impairment in coronary vascular function and reduced levels of activity may both play a role in the poorer prognosis observed in the WISE study women; however, the relationship between the two is still unclear.