Patient meeting on Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection
SCAD is a rare potentially fatal condition predominately affecting young women.
The Irish Heart Foundation is to host a special meeting next month for people who have experienced Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD), a rare potentially fatal cardiac condition predominately affecting young women.
The meeting for people living with the effects of SCAD takes place on Saturday 09 March from 12pm to 4pm at the Irish Heart Foundation offices in Rathmines, Dublin 6.
SCAD is caused by a sudden tear in the layers of the wall of an artery supplying the heart. Blood then gets trapped in these layers, forming a clot and causing a partial or complete blockage. This can lead to a sudden heart attack, an abnormal heart rhythm or even sudden death, if not treated quickly.
Most people with SCAD have no other risk factors for heart disease such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or a history of smoking making it a particularly devastating event.
The Irish Heart Foundation’s SCAD event will hear from Pauline O Shea, a SCAD survivor who will speak about her experience of SCAD and her vision to develop a SCAD support group in Ireland. It will also be addressed by Dr Caitriona Canning, Consultant Vascular Surgeon, St James’s Hospital in Dublin who has a special interest in SCAD and Dr Angie Brown, Consultant Cardiologist and Medical Director of the Irish Heart Foundation.
The meeting also aims to give people affected by the condition the opportunity to meet face to face and share their experiences, update attendees on the latest medical developments in SCAD and to explore the possibility of developing a SCAD support group in Ireland. To this end, Karen Rockell, BeatSCAD UK and Lucinda McNerney, who runs the Irish Heart Foundation’s Long QT syndrome support group will also address the event and share their experiences of establishing a support group.
SCAD usually strikes between the ages of 19 and 64 but mainly affects young people. More than 80 per cent of those affected by SCAD are women and 30 per cent are in late pregnancy or have recently given birth. SCAD is one of the most common causes of heart attack in pregnancy or the post-partum period. The condition Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD); a rare condition which causes abnormal growth in the walls of the arteries, has also been linked with SCAD.
For more information or to register to attend this event please contact Tracy Egan email: tegan@irishheart.ie
