Arterial disease in women: intestinal ischemia.

Intestinal ischemia is a rare symptomatic complication of atherosclerotic obstruction of the visceral arteries which is distinguished from nearly all other clinical syndromes caused by this disease by occurring more frequently in women than in men. The reasons for this well-documented gender difference remain unknown. A possible explanation lies in the more frequent occurrence in women of celiac artery stenosis caused by diaphragmatic compression, a condition that may make affected females more susceptible to atherosclerotic narrowing of intestinal arteries. At present, this is unproven speculation.