- Nonatherosclerotic coronary artery disease (NACAD) is a term used to describe a category of diseases, which include: spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), coronary fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD), ectasia, vasculitis, embolism, vasospasm, or congenital anomaly.
- NACAD is an important cause of myocardial infarction (MI) in young women, but is often missed on coronary angiography.
- A small retrospective study of women <50 years of age with ACS found that 54.8% had normal arteries, 30.5% atherosclerotic heart disease (ACAD), 13% nonatherosclerotic coronary artery disease (NACAD), and 1.7% unclear etiology.
- NACAD accounted for 30% of MI’s with SCAD & Takotsubo cardiomyopathy accounting for the majority of cases.
References
Saw J, Aymong E, et al. Nonatherosclerotic Coronary Artery Disease in Young Women. Canadian Journal of Cardiology. 2014/07 Vol 30:Issue 7, pgs 814-819.
