Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection
(SCAD)
Causes
Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), though relatively uncommon, can have a tremendous impact on its victims, most of whom are young and who aren’t felt to be at risk for a heart attack or heart disease. Many cases of SCAD have no clear cause, but the occurrence of SCAD is often linked to several risk factors.
Risk factors
Other arterial conditions – Having another arterial condition, such as fibromuscular dysplasia of the renal, mesenteric, or carotid arteries or a connective tissue disorder, may predispose you to SCAD by weakening the artery wall so that a tear can more easily occur spontaneously.
Stressful events – In a smaller proportion of patients, SCAD is related to a precipitating stress event such as an intense emotional jolt or physical stress, lifting heavy objects, drugs, or even bearing-down activities (retching or vomiting, coughing, or bowel movements). These movements likely increase the force exerted upon the coronary artery wall leading to its tearing.
Pregnancy – One of the most common conditions linked to SCAD is pregnancy. Evidence suggests that the hormone levels present during pregnancy may contribute to SCAD. It’s unclear how common pregnancy-related SCAD is, but two recent studies found that about 5% of all SCAD cases were related to pregnancy.1 2