Raleigh mother Pamela Krol was just 33 when she first noticed something was wrong.
She recalls it happened suddenly and without warning.
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“It was just like any other day,” Krol said. “I got ready for bed, I got ready to scroll through my phone and then I felt what felt just like heart burn.”
Krol said she initially didn’t think much of her discomfort because she had eaten pizza at her friend’s house for dinner.
Overnight, she remembered it getting worse.
“I woke up in the middle of the night with just a really bad stomachache, almost nacreous. I got up to go to the restroom and felt super dizzy,” she said.
Krol then went to an urgent care when she wasn’t better in the morning. After a few tests there, she was referred to an ER where she was told she was experiencing spontaneous coronary artery dissection.
The condition, known as SCAD, can cause heart attacks when blood flow through the arteries is blocked.
“I was in complete shock,” Krol said. “I had always been health conscious and eating all the healthy stuff.”
Krol said she also worked out regularly. “I thought I was doing all of the right things to prevent anything bad from ever happening to me.”
Over the past two-and-a-half years, Krol said she has become more aware of the statistics behind heart attacks and has helped raise awareness as a volunteer through the American Heart Association.
“I went up to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to try and understand why me, why did this happen?” she questioned. “There are no solid answers as of yet.”
One of her biggest takeaways has been monitoring her stress levels, which she believes may have ben a factor. She encourages others, especially new moms, to take breaks and to prioritize their own wellbeing.
“The best thing I can do for myself is really just live life and make sure I keep my stress levels low,” she said. “Women who are pregnant or are new mothers are far more at risk. Since I had SCAD, we did decide to go ahead and have another baby, which was a really hard decision.”
Krol said she had many conversations with her husband and family before having her second child about ways to prioritize her health to reduce her risk of another attack.
Dr. Chris Kelly with UNC Rex tells WRAL News heart attacks in seemingly healthy adults are still considered rare, though he notes they are becoming more common.
“It’s largely being driven by the increase in risk factors for heart disease that we’re seeing among young adults like diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol,” said Kelly. “The world has changed a lot over the last fifty years and people have more sedentary jobs.”
The cardiologist further explained that things like higher rates of obesity, consuming more processed foods and higher caffeine intake are also contributing factors.
“The more shelf-stable they are, the more they’re going to shorten your shelf life,” Kelly cautioned.
For all adults, even those who consider themselves health-conscious, Kelly says the risk of a heart attack is low, but never zero.
“For most adults we say your total cholesterol should be under 160 and your LDL should be under 130,” he said. “We recommend you don’t smoke, limit your alcohol consumption, eat a health diet, and exercise most days.”
The cardiologist advises keeping up with regular appointments and making notes of your vital signs to help keep track of any worrisome changes.
He also noted genetics play a role saying, “If you have a strong family history of early onset heart disease, meaning people in your family like your parents or siblings having heart attacks before the age of 60, then you may want to get checked out by a cardiologist just to make sure there isn’t some additional silent genetic risk factor that you haven’t accounted for.”
When asked if vaping could also be a factor in the rising trend, Kelly said more long-term data is needed, but theorizes it isn’t a positive thing.
“There are some newer risk factors that exist now that didn’t exist 20-30 years ago that have an unknown effect on the heart. I include under that things like vaping, smoking marijuana – which is much more prevalent now than it used to be – energy drinks; it’s unknown exactly how these effect the health but it’s doubtful it’s in any positive way.”
Krol continued, “We strongly discourage vaping and view it basically the same as smoking cigarettes right now.”
Heart attack symptoms can vary between men and women.
The American Heart Association says anyone experiencing the following should seek urgent medical attention:
-pain or discomfort in chest
-lightheadedness, nausea or vomiting
-jaw, neck or back pain
-discomfort or pain in arm or shoulder
-shortness of breath