England, July 12 -- Women with type 2 diabetes are nearly twice as likely as men to have undetected heart damage, according to a new study by Leicester researchers.

The research is one of the most detailed investigations into coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) to uncover sex-specific risk patterns in people with no signs of heart disease.

CMD is a form of early, silent heart damage caused by impaired blood flow in the heart's smallest vessels. Using advanced MRI scans and data taken from four studies conducted at the NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), researchers found that 46% of the women with type 2 diabetes had signs of CMD, compared to just 26% of the men.

"We're seeing early warning signs of heart disease that...