(WISH) — A recent study from the Mayo Clinic explores the rise in heart attacks among young adults, focusing on nontraditional causes such as spontaneous coronary artery dissection.

SCAD is a condition where the artery in the heart suddenly develops a tear or blood forms around the outside of the artery, leading to a heart attack without cholesterol buildup. This condition is nearly six times more common in women than men and often affects younger, otherwise healthy women.

“There are different types of heart attack and nontraditional heart attacks that can affect younger people,” said Dr. Claire Raphael, the study’s first author and an interventional cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic.

Raphael noted that SCAD causes 1 in 10 heart attacks in women under age 65. Intense exercise can trigger the condition, but it can also happen unexpectedly.

The study aims to raise awareness about these nontraditional causes of heart attacks, which often happen without high cholesterol and other common risk factors. Raphael emphasized the importance of recognizing these symptoms to prevent misdiagnosis.

Raphael advised that anyone experiencing chest pain should seek medical attention, as heart attacks can happen in people without traditional risk factors. “Anyone can have a heart attack. It’s not just older people or smokers,” she said.

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