Spontaneous coronary artery dissection - understanding the causes

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD): vascular pathophysiology, epidemiology and genetics  

Although spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is rare, it can have the devastating consequence of a heart attack. Research into this condition is very important because traditionally it has not received a lot of attention in the UK or internationally. SCAD can affect a wide range of people, and is especially common in young women - particularly those who have recently given birth. Dr David Adlam and colleagues at the University of Leicester have been awarded funding to do a 2-year study of SCAD, where an abnormality in the coronary artery leads to catastrophic damage to the heart. They are aiming to study 100 patients with SCAD to look for abnormalities in their arteries compared with healthy volunteers to work out the predisposing causes to developing SCAD. The key to this research is that the team will record lots of information about these patients – including their care, recovery, and the psychological impact – to help improve management and identify underlying risk factors. Studying this condition will help uncover whether people who have had SCAD are likely to have a recurrence, or whether it is an isolated event.