Miscellaneous
Last year, a few weeks before Christmas, one of my best friends texted me “I have very strange news.” I wasn’t sure what would come next, but I sure didn’t expect it to be “I had a heart attack.” Gina and I became friends when we were in high school and even though we live 7 hours apart now we are still close. She is a marathon runner and a vegan. After our friendship flashed before my eyes, I texted back “Are you the healthiest person they have ever had in the cardiac unit?” Hello, I’m Dr. Brooke Hildebrand Clubbs at Southeast Missouri State University. Heart-healthy people can suffer heart attacks due to a condition known as SCAD: spontaneous coronary artery dissection. The Mayo Clinic explains SCAD occurs in the absence of any other heart disease and is caused by a small tear in the wall of the artery that causes blood to accumulate there. As it grows, the space for blood flow narrows, which can cause a heart attack. Dr. Sharrone Hayes, founder of the Mayo Women’s Heart Clinic,