Heart Attack in Young People: Why Age is No Guarantee of a Healthy Heart

Although myocardial infarction is traditionally associated with advanced age and accumulated chronic diseases, medical practice is documenting increasingly frequent cases of cardiac incidents in young people. These events highlight that the absence of risk factors such as diabetes or high cholesterol is not absolute protection.

One unusual case reported in Serbia involves a 17-year-old who suffered a heart attack during an extreme heatwave. Although the exact causes have not been fully established, specialists are considering overheating and dehydration as potential factors that strain the cardiovascular system.

The Hidden Mechanism: SCAD

Medicine indicates that in young people, a heart attack is often not the result of classic atherosclerosis (the buildup of cholesterol plaques), but of a rarer condition called Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD). In SCAD, a tear forms in the artery wall, allowing blood to collect between its layers, creating a hematoma. This hematoma compresses the vessel's lumen and blocks the blood flow to the heart.

This condition primarily affects young and seemingly healthy people, and statistically, it is more common in women under the age of 50. Factors such as genetic connective tissue disorders (for example, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome), pregnancy, intense emotional stress, or strenuous physical exertion can play a role in its development.

The Importance of Rapid Diagnosis

The case of Australian teenager Ava Morrin serves as a serious warning. Suffering from a hereditary connective tissue disease, she was initially overlooked by medical teams who attributed her severe chest pain to anxiety. It was only after re-testing troponin levels—a protein released when the heart muscle is damaged—that the critical diagnosis was established.

Symptoms that should not be ignored:

• Severe pain, pressure, or a feeling of heaviness in the chest.
• Pain radiating to the arms, neck, or back.
• Sudden shortness of breath or cold sweat.

Doctors emphasize: if you feel unusual and severe chest pain, immediately seek emergency assistance at 112. In young people, symptoms are often mistaken for other conditions, but a delay in diagnosing SCAD can lead to irreversible damage or sudden death.