I was fit, healthy and just 24 when I suffered FIVE heart attacks. Now experts warn of the little-known condition that strikes women with none of the usual risk factors… and the symptoms you must never ignore

Courtney Bennett was just 24 when she suffered the first of five heart attacks – despite being fit, active and having none of the usual risk factors for heart disease.

The young mother, from Manchester, had never smoked, had normal cholesterol levels and had been a keen dancer since childhood.

But in July 2024, while driving home from the supermarket, she was suddenly struck by crushing chest pain.

‘I instantly knew something wasn’t right,’ recalls Courtney, now 27, a brow and lash technician.

What she didn’t know was that she was suffering from spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), a little-known condition that causes at least four heart attacks every day in the UK.

Unlike conventional heart attacks, which are usually caused by a build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries, SCAD occurs when blood collects between the layers of an artery wall, narrowing the passage through which blood flows to the heart.

Around 80 to 90 per cent of those affected are women, often with none of the traditional risk factors for heart disease.

It is recognised as a leading cause of heart attacks in younger women – particularly pregnant women and new mothers. Yet experts still don’t fully understand why it happens, or why some women are more vulnerable than others.

For Courtney, the diagnosis came only after days of repeated episodes of agonising chest pain.

She was initially admitted to hospital but when her symptoms began to ease and doctors were unable to explain what was happening, she discharged herself.

Within hours, the pain returned as she was washing her hair in the shower, forcing her to call an ambulance.

Back in hospital, she continued to experience intermittent chest pain.

Then, in the early hours of July 14, her condition deteriorated dramatically.

‘I woke up in pain in the middle of the night multiple times and the staff kept giving me pain medication,’ she recalls.

‘Then, at around 9am, I took myself to the toilet and my body started emptying itself. I felt like I was dying.’

She managed to make it back to her hospital bed, but the pain was now spreading down both arms and into her hands.

‘I was crying my eyes out because I was in so much pain,’ she says.

Doctors immediately sent her for a coronary angiogram, a procedure in which dye is injected into the coronary arteries to reveal any narrowing or blockages.

They initially tried to insert a catheter through her wrist before accessing the artery through her groin.

‘I remember thinking, “I’ve got a child that I need to get home to”,’ says Courtney, whose son was two at the time. ‘I lost my mum when I was six, so I just thought history was repeating itself.’

The investigation revealed damage to the wall of one of the arteries supplying her heart, causing blood to become trapped within it and restricting the flow of oxygen-rich blood.

She was told she had suffered five heart attacks in total before doctors finally identified SCAD as the cause.

‘When they told me I’d had a heart attack, I couldn’t believe it,’ she says.

‘I was thinking, “Why me? I’m too young to have a heart attack”.’

Although SCAD can strike at almost any age, it most commonly affects women in their 40s and 50s.

Professor David Adlam, a consultant cardiologist and leading UK researcher into the condition, says cases in women as young as Courtney are unusual.

‘SCAD is a completely different disease to the condition most of us are familiar with as the cause of heart attacks,’ he says.

‘It is not linked to many of the risk factors associated with conventional heart attacks and seems to particularly affect women. This likely tells us something about the underlying causes of SCAD.’

Researchers believe female sex hormones may play a part, potentially affecting the strength and structure of the coronary artery walls.

One clue is that SCAD occurs more frequently during certain periods of hormonal change, particularly around childbirth and the menopause.

‘We know SCAD occurs in some women late in pregnancy or shortly after childbirth and otherwise peaks around the menopause,’ says Professor Adlam.

‘This suggests there may be a link between SCAD and changes or fluctuations in sex hormones, but exactly how this works remains to be fully worked out.’

Most pregnancy-associated cases occur within six months of delivery – particularly during the first month, when hormone levels are changing rapidly.

However, Professor Adlam stresses that a heart attack occurring more than a year after childbirth would not generally be considered pregnancy-associated SCAD.

Genetic differences that make some women’s arteries more vulnerable may also be involved, although scientists have yet to establish precisely how the various factors interact.

Courtney was also diagnosed with endometriosis, a condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows elsewhere in the body.

While some research has linked endometriosis to a higher overall risk of cardiovascular disease, Professor Adlam says there is currently no established association with SCAD specifically.

In many cases, doctors are unable to identify any clear trigger.

And because the condition can strike people who appear otherwise healthy, experts say recognising the symptoms is crucial.

These are generally the same as those of a conventional heart attack, including chest pain or tightness that may spread to the arms, back, neck or jaw. Some patients also experience breathlessness, nausea, sweating or dizziness.

Anyone experiencing suspected heart attack symptoms should call 999 immediately.

Doctors will usually carry out an electrocardiogram (ECG), which measures the heart’s electrical activity, and a blood test for troponin, a protein released when the heart muscle is damaged.

Both tests may have to be repeated because the signs of a heart attack are not always apparent immediately. A coronary angiogram is usually needed to confirm SCAD.

Fortunately, unlike many conventional heart attacks, SCAD often does not require a stent or bypass surgery.

In patients whose condition is stable, doctors generally prefer to allow the damaged artery to heal naturally, typically over a period of three to six months.

Courtney was transferred to another hospital, where she spent ten days recovering.

She was prescribed aspirin, to reduce the risk of blood clots, and beta blockers, which lower the heart’s workload and may reduce the risk of another SCAD event. She continues to take these drugs.

‘I found the idea of taking these medications for the rest of my life quite hard at first because I was sort of a person who didn’t take medication for anything,’ she says. ‘It’s something I’ve had to get used to.’

Although most people make a good physical recovery, SCAD can recur, and the psychological impact of surviving a heart attack at such a young age can be considerable.

For Courtney, the fear of another attack has changed how she lives.

‘I have a lot of anxiety that I’ll have another heart attack and it’s played a massive part in everyday life,’ she says.

‘For example, I’ve danced since I was two years old and even though my doctor said I could start dancing again 12 weeks after the heart attack, I’ve still not gone back. It’s that constant worry of “What if it happens again?”‘

She hopes that sharing her experience will encourage other young women to take unexplained chest pain seriously, even if they consider themselves fit and healthy.

Her message is simple: ‘You are never too young to have a heart attack.’

For more information on SCAD, visit Beat SCAD.