Artery Disorder Underdiagnosed in Millions, Research at ISET 2012 Shows

January 17, 2012

Fibromuscular Dysplasia Most Likely To Strike Women, Suggests Registry

MIAMI BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The most common disease you’ve never heard of, fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD), frequently goes undetected and can lead to high blood pressure, stroke and aneurysms. Although considered a rare disease, studies suggest close to 4 percent of Americans – more than five million people – have FMD. More than 90 percent of sufferers are women, and high blood pressure and headache are the most common symptoms, according to results of an FMD registry being presented at the 24th annual International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy (ISET).

“Doctors need to look for FMD, particularly in patients younger than 35 who have high blood pressure or migraine-type headaches.”

FMD is an accumulation of fibrous tissue in the arteries – most often those in the kidney or neck – causing them to narrow.

Researchers at ISET are reporting on 339 registry patients enrolled at seven U.S. centers, 91 percent of whom were female. More than 95 percent of patients suffered one or more symptoms, including: high blood pressure (66 percent), headaches (53 percent) and rhythmic ringing in the ears (30 percent). Nineteen percent of patients had suffered a tear in an artery and 17 percent had suffered an aneurysm, or bulging in the artery.

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