Spontaneous Coronary Artery
Dissection Program

Spontaneous coronary artery disease (SCAD) is a rare vascular condition that can occur due to a tear in the innermost layer of the artery wall. Multiple layers of tissue make up the artery wall and SCAD can cause blood to be trapped between these layers, causing a bulge or flap that can partially interrupt blood flow to the heart. It can cause symptoms such as chest pain, heart attack, and cardiac arrest. This condition is most common in young to middle aged women. SCAD may be due to an underlying cause such as fibromuscular dysplasia, pregnancy, connective tissue disease, autoimmune disease, or stimulants. SCAD is sometimes challenging to diagnose because most patients do not have traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, dyslipidemia and/or diabetes