The relative infrequency of coronary thrombosis in the female has been noted since the syndrome was first described by Heberden. In his description, he commented, "I have seen nearly one hundred people under this disorder of which number there have been three women. All the rest were men, near or past the fiftieth year of age."1 A great body of statistical evidence collected in recent years confirms this marked predilection of coronary atherosclerosis to the male.
Young females without attendant diabetes, hypertension, or lipemia-inducing states possess a remarkable freedom from the disease until the menopausal age, at which time the incidence of the disorder becomes nearly equal with that of males of comparable age.
Our attention was recently focused on the problem of coronary artery disease in the young female when a 38-year-old Negro woman was admitted to the John Sealy Hospital with a classical history of angina pectoris