Among the other factors significantly contributing to heart attacks were spontaneous coronary artery dissections (SCADs), where tears in artery walls collect blood, embolisms (blood clots traveling from other areas of the body), and other stressors acting on the body (such as anemia).
The team also found that many SCAD-related heart attacks were initially misattributed to atherothrombosis, especially in women, where SCAD was the cause nearly six times as frequently. If heart attack causes are misdiagnosed, then doctors might take the wrong approach to trying to prevent the next one.
I read this article to my husband earlier today, it was so interesting. Anemia as a cause sounded surprising, but I had severe anemia once (copper IUD was causing hemorrhage) and couldn’t get up the stairs at work, it must strain the heart a lot.
It seems like almost every woman I know has to take iron supplements for mild anemia. If it’s really a cause of SCAD then that’s not great.
The other IUD resolved mine - the ones with progesterone reduce bleeding in period to almost zero or zero, then menopause, I haven’t dealt with the anemia for years now, the cause for my body was absolutely the heavy bleeding with cycles. But yes, during the years I had natural periods (or aggravated ones with that non hormonal IUD) it was so hard to keep my blood oxygen rich, it felt like fighting a losing battle.
I think overall though - this research is such good news, hopefully doctors will more aggressively treat the anemia now. When I was having it they would just sort of shrug and say it’s not ideal but you are always like this, probably nothing to worry about.
Women being misdiagnosed, tale as old as medicine itself.
