Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection occurs suddenly and unexpectedly. Here you can read information about SCAD and share stories with other SCAD survivors.
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SCAD is a rare disease. In order for us to study it, we need pro-active SCAD survivors to continue to get involved in our research projects.
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About SCAD
Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD) is an unpredictable event with patients usually presenting with a sudden unexpected heart attack.
Here you will be able to learn about SCAD and read the stories of others who have suffered from this condition.
Our Research
Our team at the Leicester Glenfield hospital is funded by BeatSCAD and from public donations and have previously received funded from the British Heart Foundation and NIHR Rare diseases Translational Research Collaboration.
Dr David Adlam is the chief investigator for our research. We aim to investigate:
The causes of SCAD.
How genetics influence SCAD.
The best way to treat this condition.
Donations
We are extremely grateful to SCAD-survivors, their family and friends who have generously donated or raised funding to support our research
If you would like to contribute to SCAD research then please donate at our just giving page.
I'm now over five years post SCAD, just coming up to 55 and the happiest I have ever been in my life. So what's changed?
1. I got healthy through eating well and exercising moderately (gardening, yoga, walking, badminton).
2. I chucked my stressful job and now write a 50 plus lifestyle blog over at https://flowerpowerlife.wordpress.com/(link is external)
I had chest pains in the morning of 28th October 2013, a couple of days after quite a tough run. I then carried on as normal through the day with no other pain. That night I was woken up with worsening pains in my chest. I tried to adjust my position so that I could go back to sleep, but the pain increased until I was on the floor. My wife took me to A&E where the Troponin test showed I had had a heart attack.
I had my first SCAD event on 11-Apr-2013. I was 50 years old and had been back to full time work for two months after suffering from severe depression. So was feeling really good, had lost weight and was fitter than I had been for years.
I had been busy at work that morning and I was making a cup of tea at lunch time. While talking to a colleague I started to feel unwell. A real aching in my jaw and a bit lightheaded. I went to my desk and sat down. But I started to feel worse...pain radiating in my shoulders, nausea. So as I thought I was going to be sick I went to the toilet.
I had my first SCAD heart attack January 2014, I was in Denmark on vacation and preparing my luggage to return to Italy, when I felt a strange feeling in my chest (no pain) and that my left arm “fell asleep” it only took a few seconds, and then disappeared but something told me to react so we called 911 to ask what to do and they send an ambulance right away. In the hospital they took 2 blood test (12 hours one from the other) for enzymes but both turned out negative, also EKG was perfect, and I felt “normal”.
The ambulance snaked through the traffic with the deception of apathy. I knew it was dodging cars at full pelt, but the 20-minute journey seemed to take forever. The paramedic busied himself with an in-journey ECG which could be sent wirelessly ahead to the ER department of the local district hospital. Both he and the driver were stumped and their confusion, and concern, was palpable.
I'm a 39 year old teacher living in Hertfordshire with my partner and our 5-year old son.
Last year (2014), about August time, I experienced SUDDEN CHEST PAINS following some fairly strenuous housework. I assumed they were INDIGESTION, but they were severe enough to make me nauseous and they lasted a few hours. My chest was sore for some days afterwards.
I am a 41 year old nursery nurse and I had my SCAD on 6th November 2013. It came completely out of the blue when I was at my work. Apart from mild asthma years ago, I had no previous health problems. One minute I felt fine, the next minute I felt nauseous, warm and faint.
At the age of 37 I had 2 episodes of a heart-burn pain which travelled down my left arm and the second of these was while I prepared to go to an aerobics class. I felt a fluttering under my rib cage, and fear led me to phone 999.
16-Feb-2014: I was out on a 77 mile cycle ride. The 3rd hard ride in four days. Not what you should really do for a training program (too many hard sessions too close together). At 40 miles, I was 10 mins into a 30 min mountain climb when I experienced a numbing pain from the middle of my chest which spread to my upper arms making them feel floppy.
I am a 33 year old woman. I had SCAD on March 5th. It felt just as a Heart attack would. I had pain in my chest going down my left arm and down the left side of my throat. I awoke at half one in the morning with the pain. I thought it was heartburn as I have never had it before. I am very lucky to be alive as I took two aspirin to help with the pain and a heartburn remedy. I then don't remember much so think I must have passed out!
