I had a SCAD event in August of 2015 (48 y/o male at the time). The prior day I had completed a very intense group exercise workout. The next day I woke up and felt uncomfortable chest pressure and shortness of breath. I tried to shrug it off but then the shooting pain down the arm indicated that it might be serious and I decided to drive to urgent care, which was two minutes away. Initially, they said that I had just overdone it the day before and they found nothing on EKG. The pain and discomfort persisted and ultimately, the troponin test did confirm a heart attack in process. They diagnosed in cath lab and I also had a 3d scan of the artery as well, although I cant recall the exact name of the scan. My cardiologist explained that my LAD had torn in a corkscrew fashion and they proceeded to treat conservatively with heparin IV and Metoprolol. I was released 5 days later and have been on Metoprolol, Atorvastatin and baby asprin (clopidogrel for 1 yr). I also found out that my agatston score was 367 which indicated scattered plaque and more than likely was a contributing factor. Additionally, I also have coronary artery ectasia which they believe may have contributed to the issue as the diameter of the inner wall of the artery may be thinner and more prone to rupture. I have no family history of heart disease, dont smoke, drink socially and exercise regularly. Once I found out about my calcium score, I switched to a WFPB diet and my LDL is routinely under 50. I still exercise (although at a much more moderate level) and generally feel great. I took a trip to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN to see Dr. Sharonne Hayes as they are leading the research in SCAD in the US. I was advised my SCAD was probably more related to CVD than what they were studying, so I was not included in their registry. It was comforting to know that they didnt feel that it was a genetic issue that may be passed down to my two daughters. Now I just need to figure out these occasional panic attacks I struggle though and that have resulted in a few 911 calls (false alarms). I want to thank you Dr. Gupta for your informative posts. You are providing a great service to many people around the world. My best wishes to all of you who have had a SCAD event or know someone who has. God bless you all.

@kevb6233

2 жыл бұрын

@Primum Non Nocere Thank you!

Such a simple way of explaining, and really appreciate spending time just for the intention of helping people, thank you doctor.

Thank you Dr. Great explanation of SCAD. As a survivor of a Scad with Stemi I am lucky. Always trying to learn more. Thank you for the work you do. ♥️

I will never look at a roll of loo paper the same way again 😁 Thanks for the info 👍

I suffered a SCAD several years ago, and this is one of the best explanations I have seen. Excellent presentation with great information, and I will be showing this to my friends and family to help them to understand. Thank you so much.

Six months ago I suffered a SCAD heart attack and went into cardiac arrest 3 times.... I was not formally diagnosed as having had a SCAD at the time, although they believed that could have been one of the causes ....a spasm or even cardiomyopathy were suggested. I went for another opinion and officially had a formal diagnosis 2 months after my initial heart attack.....I then went to the Mayo Clinic to get even more information from a Doctor there who has a great deal of experience with SCAD. As a 46 year old mother of 2, I had none of the typical risk factors for a heart attack....I've never smoked, was not diabetic, had normal cholesterol, barely drank and never did drugs....I did not have a family history of this either and there was no plaque in my arteries, which was noted in my hospital record. I also found out that I have FMD....I had 2 stents placed in my LAD artery (aka the widowmaker artery) the day of my heart attack as I had a 99% blockage and they did not have a choice as I went into cardiac arrest....I'm trying as much as possible to get back to "normal" and not only be involved in raising awareness, but also funding for research. In the US, it is the biggest cause of heart attacks for women under 50 and yet no clinical trials have been done to date.....in my opinion, that's just wrong....in large part because the numbers are probably that much bigger than we know, if my situation is anything to go by....and that I have been told numerous times that it has been under-diagnosed for years......so I do believe that more women have had a SCAD heart attack and were diagnosed as having had one....research and funding is critical....heart disease will kill more women than all cancers combined....I had no idea about most of this until it happened to me....and before my heart attack, I had mild asthma and an underactive thyroid.....I thought I was healthy and yet only had 1 hour from the first chest pain until my heart stopped....it's terrifying and we need to know how to prevent further SCAD's for those of us who have had one and those who are at risk and don't know it. Thank you from across the pond for your explanation and getting the word out :-)

Would you consider doing an updated video on SCAD to include any relationship between hypertension and SCAD, SCAD and aneurisms or dissections in other arteries, and Anything else new you’re learning on SCAD. Great video. Thank you!

Great visual! I had a scad about a month ago which resulted in a bypass surgery. I’m gathering information since I had never heard of this condition before. Thank you for this information!

Great information. My heart thanks you.

This was so interesting to me as I had a spontaneous coronary artery dissection in December 2012. I was 51 years old at the time so a little out of the typical age group. I was treated with stents as the dissection did lead to a heart attack. I have four stents along a 7.5cm section of the LAD. I can only marvel at the most amazing treatment I received at the time and be so very thankful that there were doctors like yourself so able to deal with the presenting emergency. I’m not sure the SCAD was identified at the time but more at a follow up appointment some time later. I had been away from home at the time so follow ups were not at the hospital where I was first seen. I am interested in the idea that other tests in other organs might be beneficial. I think I will look into that. Thank you so much. This was such a helpful video. Lynne ☺️

Thank you, Dr. Gupta!

As always very informative. Thank you. 💕🙏

Hello Dr. Gupta, I really appreciate your videos and the clear explanations you provide. I am a cardiac nurse, and I also had an ablation for atrial tachycardia at a fairly young age, and your videos have helped me both as a patient and as a nurse. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience!

Thanks for the info doc, great work, as always!

@YorkCardiology

5 жыл бұрын

thank you juan!

Great information as always you give us. thank you so much sir..

Thank you Dr. Gupta for a very informative video.I appreciate your interest in helping people.thanks again.

Very informative & clear explanation ❣️tysm.

Fantastic explanation thanks so much

well explained doctor I had a SCAD episode 2 years ago but I was 58 at the time.I aslo was found to have FMD in both legs.Stress and hormone replacment the doctor thought contributed to it.

Thank you

Thank you Dr Gupta - I saw this video months ago and had had a SCAD heart attack 7 months prior. You referenced in your video to let you know if you'd like our story placed on your site - yes, please do ...if you've any questions or want any additional details, please reply to this post and I'd be happy to set up a time to share my story... I was 46 at the time, had none of the traditional risk factors for traditional heart disease and had a SCAD heart attack and went into cardiac arrest several times all within an hour after the first chest pain of my life...please continue to spread the word...we are relatively young survivors of a terrifying life event and then told limited information about how to prevent it...it's beyond scary and wrong that more isn't known about this type of heart attack as in the US it is now the biggest cause of heart attacks for women under 50 and pregnant and postpartum women. Thank you

Thank you yes awareness is key definitely. Mine was out of the blue i was stressed and very emotional at the time.

I had mine in July of this year. Central chest pain which wasn't too severe, but it radiated up to my mandible, which was the give away. It was a small SCAD in a terminal branch of my left artery. Im 57, have low BP, low cholesterol, am fit, etc. I think mine was brought on by the physical stress my body went through caused by several years of extreme iron deficiency anaemia from myomas, which resulted in a hysterectomy in January this year.

Nice summary Sanjay

Thank you so much. I suffered my first SCAD attack 2 weeks ago. I’m 54, healthy and very curious as how this happened. Can you please post your FB and IG handles so I can follow you more closely. And thank you again.

@sandilinton1545

Жыл бұрын

Me too very confused

It's so strange that I had Never heard of SCAD until a few days ago! Then I started watching back to back videos of women who had experienced SCAD and told their stories. And how almost all of them were dismissed at first as it being nothing more than an anxiety or panic attack! Because even the EKG didn't show anything abnormal? WOW. Very Scary.

Nice video

Interesting. Can you talk about CT CAC scan scoring testing. Benefits, usefulness and how often to get??? I did it two weeks ago. My score is 123. Thx

I was rushed into hospital on 9th October with a heart attack they have told me that I have SCAD, I have been put on 75mg aspirin,2.5mg bisoprolol fumerate and 10mg Atorvastatin, they have also asked me would I go to Leicester research center in a month or so ,I have been healthy and had no warning signs of heart failure,when I woke up on that morning I felt like my arms where to heavy to lift ,a crushing sensation across my chest with extreme pain in my back and I found it difficult to breathe or talk. I have never been so frightened in my entire life and I'm also anxious about it happening again.

@valeryboukarim5603

5 ай бұрын

Hello i just had Scad i am from ukraine can know how are you doing now

Could you please do a video on thoracic aortic aneurysm?

Hi! I had it on 20.07.2022, a week after c-section. I’m 37 years old. I was resuscitated. I had a stent put in. It was my second STEMI. I had a 24 hour ekg when I had my scad. I have this file if you are interested.

It appears to be an especially difficult problem to find good viable solutions. I would think there would be a high probility of failure, im thinking fasting, a very careful change of diet. Close monitoring, asprin, and certain Statins. Are there any mechanical engineer methods with solid success records used to remove these types of clotting disorders. Thank you you have a great working knowledge of this potentiay lethal condition my guess is that it kills a lot of women because of its coplexity, I can see why it might have a high probabilty of very quickly regressing into a far worse condition.

I have a question for you which is not related to the subject but I would be very grateful if you could answer. I have been diagnosed as have some of my friends with Osteopenia. For this the GPS have told us to take 1200mg of calcium + Vitamin D for the rest of our lives. I am taking instead, advised by a nutritionist, a product called Osteocare by Viobioticvs and it has on 2 tablets 800mg of calcium and 400 IU of vitm D plus 300mg of magnesium and a few more items. She said I should get the rest of calcium from food otherwise I would be taking too much calcium. My friend saw a Heart surgeon and he said she was taking too much calcium (she was taking the same the GP recommended for me) and this was making her arteries too hard . He told her to stop taking calcium and instead take 1000 IU of vitmin D and take magnesium. Could you please comment on this and advise us what to do. Dr Gupta. Sometime ago I had a consultation with you online which made me a lot calmer. I think you do fantastic work with all your videos. May you always be blessed for all the help you give people who are not and will not be your private patients.

I had my first heart attack aged 39yrs. During my angiogram I was misdiagnosed as having had SCAD but then they changed their mind and said I had coronary artery spasm. After my second heart attack at 45 yr I was finally confirmed as having Prinzmetal variant angina and micro vascular angina. I do have a question for Dr Gupta ....every time I have adrenaline ( usually in a local anaesthetic for dental work or surgery) I have a severe angina attack. Severe enough to end up in ITU with ecg changes and Troponin elevation. Can you explain why that may be ? I have never been warned not to have adrenaline I have worked it out the hard way ! Thank you

Is there any way to know if it's a scad or normal heart attack through an angiogram

I had a SCAD 7 years ago at 52 - had a blow to the chest at the heart with wooden handle of shovel. Now having A-Fib symptoms… cleaning up the diet and gonna lose 25 pounds to see if I can resolve it

Can you talk more about blood thinners as treatment with SCAD?

Is surgery a more permanent solution?

Just came home from hospital diagnosed with SCAD, scare looking for answers..... Is pain in middle of chest during healing or right after first episode normal?

I watched a 44 yo female co-worker have one of these. She smoked like crazy and was being worked to death. They put a stent in and began their fave 5 pills, statins, beta blocker, blood thinner, and so on. She has done a full 180 now. I had just gone through a year of health anxiety/palpitations myself that were going away. Witnessing this was fuuuuun, let me tell you.

I turned 25 last Wednesday; that day I had a small surgery to remove a contraceptive implant that needed local anesthetics, unusually, I started sweating and feeling nauseous, ended up vomiting and it was of course attributed to nervousness. A day after I started feeling nauseous again, couldn't get to sleep due to chest/ribcage pain, my neck and jaw would feel so tense I felt like a truck was crashing me, let aside the extreme fatigue and short of breath I've been feeling . I have diagnosed anxiety so I tried to attribute the symptoms to that, but I've never felt like this; the heartburn, the feel that I'm about to pass out out of nowhere... Still, i am kind of shy to seek for help since my mom and girlfriend say that it's just that I'm getting better from the small surgery, I don't know what to do. Am i exaggerating? I mean, "I am young and healthy"

@audraneal3210

6 ай бұрын

please ask for help. I almost died bc I did ask. Your loved ones are not cardiologists and you need to follow your intuition. You need to listen to your body and not take chances. Please.....

This happen to me I am sad about it because I take very good care of my health I am totally confused about it But I did go to rehab Because I miss my work out and I try to keep my blood pressure under control. I just don't know how to cope

@audraneal3210

6 ай бұрын

You and me both. Diagnosed with SCAD and FMD after a heart attack on Ded 19 2023. Still not sure of my prognosis or how this will be dealt with. God bless you.

Jus had one 2 weeks ago. 35 male here. Afraid.90% blocked, 2 stents put in. Angiogram was no fun, Fingers crossed no reaccurance. Will be asking my doctor to see if i have fmd. What about sex after scad? I was perscribed asa and dapt and 2 others

I think this is what killed american actor John Ritter. Admitted to the hospital but was not diaganosed correcly.

I love the demonstration with toilet paper made it click with under standing

I'm delighted my cholesterol is 3.2 :)

I was 38 when they found I had a 99% blockage in my LAD. Everyone mentioned my age in the cath lab that day.

@verisimilitudeteller

5 жыл бұрын

@Mirakelbabe I went to the hospital, they ran the enzyme test of the blood, no heart attack, they didn't get a clear picture on the ultrasound but didn't see an obvious blockage, and the EKG didn't show anything. Cardiologist called and said he "thinks" I have a "minor blockage" and he could either send me home with medication or they could cath me and know for sure. I told him, "You have me here now doc, let's look to be sure." During the procedure he said, "I'm glad you chose to do this." HA. 4 stents in that procedure in the LAD, then a 5th 4 months later as one of the original stents was defective and closing on it's own so they put the 5th in to support and hold open the others. I eat bacon and eggs every day now and take Vitamin K2-MK-7, Vitamin D and Omega-3 supplements. Chest pain is gone, no statins nothing.

@jl3072

5 жыл бұрын

What symptoms did you have then that showed up or issues?

@verisimilitudeteller

5 жыл бұрын

@@jl3072 For a number of days before I got the pain, but including just before I went to the hospital I was short winded walking even the shortest of distances, generally tired ALL the time without good cause. I thought I might have been fighting off a cold or something and was weak due to that. I had an ache in my chest/shoulder but didn't think much of it because I'd had issues and still have issues with my left shoulder because of the way I sleep and how I'd previously taken injury to it before. This pain was different though. The day after the stenting it felt like someone took an elephant off my chest, you don't realize until it's removed just how tight/congested it feels until it's loose and clear. I went in to work and I had to walk a lot, as I was walking around I got a sharp pain and couldn't breathe so I had to sit and got them to call for help. Fortunately I worked directly across the street from the hospital they took me to. Before any test results came back they hit me with nitrostat, aspirin, oxygen and morphine once at the hospital. That's the key four things they do for most people with those symptoms. When the lab results came back they showed there was no heart damage indicating it wasn't a heart attack. All the while I was 99% blocked. That's the scary part, the EKG didn't show anything either, none of the tests did. It was only once they went and looked during cath'ing that it showed the blockage and how severe it was. During the procedure I was laughing and joking with the other people in the room, but they all fell silent once they could see the blockage. I mean I could see it too but didn't know what I was looking at on the screen, the other's silence was definitely a bad sign.

@jl3072

5 жыл бұрын

Christopher Snow for me i am 31 and sitting in my chair when suddenly felt an actual electric zap shock in the center of my chest one inch above sternum. Lasted 1 milliseconds followed by heart feeling like it dropped. Or was rugged down. Then panic hit. High bpm. Hands shaking. That was a year ago. Still haven’t been to a doctor as i have no money or insurance. Now my only issue is large meals make me a bit tired. Not a lot though. More so dizzy or i should say weird feeling. And now when i lay down my heart immediately goes to high 50s. When sleeping to 41bpm and when waking it stays below 60 until i get out of bed. I walk every day 30-60min it gets between 99-130bpm and comes down slowly. I’m 31. White. And now 289lbs year ago was 391lbs.

@verisimilitudeteller

5 жыл бұрын

@Mirakelbabe Smoking contributed, but bigger than that, I'm a T2 diabetic insulin dependent and at that point was for a little more than 16 years. I say it's the elevated blood glucose and insulin that caused my arteries to shred, the smoking didn't help but I wasn't that big a smoker. Cholesterol is almost an innocent bystander when it comes to these issues. Triglycerides are the key, but they are only formed with glucose/sugar alongside the lipid. Usually when the liver doesn't know what to do with all the excess sugar it converts it into free-floating triglycerides. Cut the carbs, eat bacon and be happier for it. Unless.. and this is the one thing I tell everyone to do... get an LDL particle density test. If you are shown to be a Pattern B LDL, then you should get on a statin because Pattern B is the dangerous stuff because it's small, dense and can damage arteries. Pattern A on the other hand is large, soft and fluffy and harmless when it comes to this type of thing. Cholesterol does little more than transport fat from place to place, it's necessary for every cell in the body but especially hormones like estrogen and testosterone. If you don't consume enough of it your liver would make more of it, so why force the liver to produce it when if you consume it in your diet it alleviates that burden on the liver? Excess cholesterol in and of itself has not been shown to affect morbidity/lifespan. Eating a Ketogenic diet also makes you more inclined to be able to clear excess cholesterol just by virtue of being able to mobilize fat for energy rather than solely using glucose. Cut the carbs out to 5% of total calories and you'll find your cholesterol numbers improve. I refuse to take a statin for numerous reasons but I think it's overprescribed because it is effective in lowering cholesterol but that shouldn't be the end all be all goal here, and second the statins I have been on in the past affect my brain in ways I don't want it to. Cloudbrain, just a general foggyness. I do however take a prescription grade Omega3 supplement which has been shown to lower triglycerides, I'm glad my insurance covers it. Also, when in doubt, drink more water. Being dehydrated makes the heart work harder to pump the thicker blood through your system vs when you're properly hydrated it alleviates some of that burden on the heart. It makes the blood less viscus and therefore less likely to cause damage solely though the friction of moving through your arteries. Get enough electrolytes... sodium/magnesium/potassium are the big three. I add table salt/NO SALT which is a sodium substitute in the US which is composed of potassium in place of sodium, and Epsom salt, I make sure it's the edible variety, most are, some aren't read the label. :) But Epsom salt gives you magnesium. Get those three in with your water and you'll be surprised how much energy you feel even without caffeine. That's my unsolicited advice when it comes to this stuff. Carbs bad, water and electrolytes good. Omega3's are great when you have a good source of them. Vitamin K2-MK-7 helps prevent calcium buildup in the blood which is what really causes "hardening" of the arteries, it's the main thing securing the plaque to the arterial wall so anything which prevents it from leeching from the bones to the blood is good. I have a theory, post menopausal women experience two things, a reduction in bone density and an increase in cardiac related deaths. Why would this be? I know doctors like to put women on or at least recommend calcium supplementation to combat the reduction in bone density. Problem is, all you're doing is replacing what's being removed from the bone, but where does it go when it leaves the bones but the arteries? Vitamin K2-MK-7 helps regulate where the calcium goes in your body, studies suggest that it's essentially a calcium channel blocker which can stop the bone from leaking the calcium in the first place. Thereby preventing it from becoming a component of arterial hardening. It's not the cholesterol that gets you, but the calcium that hardens underneath it. Control the calcium by preventing it from leaking from the bone to the blood and you solve to problems with one stone. Bone density will improve or at least degrade at a much slower rate, and the arteries will be less occluded due to calcium forming plaque on the arterial walls. That's my theory, I just hope the scientists would get on this and either prove me wrong or right, but the information we do have suggests I'm right.

I am seeing a pattern. Otherwise healthy women whose hormones are dropping or fluctuating. Pregnancy, perimenopause or menopause, on hrt or not. Often, slender, health conscious women in 40's and early 50's is what my research shows so far.

New DX @ 57yo

@SeaZen

3 жыл бұрын

Mine is clearly related to anxiety.