Unlike older patients or those with pre-existing conditions, young women experiencing this type of heart attack often show no warning signs. These women are generally considered healthy with a low risk of cardiovascular disease, making diagnosis challenging.
Prompt Assistance is Crucial in a Heart Attack
A heart attack occurs when the inner layer of a coronary artery separates from the outer layer.
Blood then collects in the space between the layers, forming a hematoma that reduces blood flow and can lead to a heart attack (myocardial infarction).
New Treatment Ideas Offer Hope
This specific form of heart attack is not yet fully understood and is therefore often treated similarly to other types of heart attacks. Medical professionals refer to this condition as spontaneous coronary artery dissection, or SCAD. A research team from Serbia followed 123 patients for four years and developed new treatment recommendations.
“SCAD was previously considered rare, but awareness of this condition is growing. SCAD is still often underdiagnosed and under-researched, and there are few, if any, randomized studies to determine the most appropriate treatment method,” explained study leader Professor Svetlana Apostolović of the University Clinical Center Niš.
The limited scientific understanding of this condition makes it hard for physicians to determine the best course of action.
However, a complete recovery was achieved in 62.2 percent of the young women studied.
“SCAD most commonly occurred in non-pregnant young women and women in perimenopause. SCAD often resolved completely, and stent implantation was not beneficial in the majority of patients,” Apostolović noted.
The average age of the women was 47.5 years. A total of 6.7 percent of the patients were pregnant or had recently given birth, even as 36.2 percent were in perimenopause.
As far as is known, the most common triggering factors were psychological stress and physical stress.
Individualized Follow-Up Increases Chances of Recovery
Careful monitoring, combined with blood pressure medication, cardiac rehabilitation, and psychological support, can improve outcomes in the long term and significantly reduce the impact on the daily lives of young women. This research highlights the importance of considering SCAD in the differential diagnosis of heart attacks, particularly in younger women.
Source Information
Adlam D, Alfonso F, Maas A, et al. (2018). European Society of Cardiology, Acute Cardiovascular Care Association, SCAD study group: a position paper on spontaneous coronary artery dissection. Eur Heart J. 2018; 39:3353–336.
EurekAlert.org (2026). New data on spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) – a common cause of heart attacks in younger women. Reports and Proceedings.
