Knowledge = Power and many SCAD patients find they very quickly know as much or more about the condition than the healthcare professionals treating them.

While we now know more about the mechanism of SCAD, thanks to research, we have a long way to go before all healthcare professionals know about and understand SCAD and have access to guidelines about the most suitable treatment. The first clinical trials are now under way and the results will help to inform future guidelines, however we need more and bigger trials, which will take a number of years to complete before NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) will consider introducing guidelines for the treatment of SCAD. 

The current NICE guidelines for Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) are aimed at patients with atherosclerosis, which is the most common cause of heart attack. They state that they do not cover management of SCAD, however healthcare professionals can refer to the 2023 ESC Guidelines for the management of acute coronary syndromes and the European Society of Cardiologists 2020 Guidelines for the management of ACS in patients presenting without persistent ST-segment elevation, which include sections on SCAD.

Lack of NICE guidelines (which doctors are obliged to follow) can lead to uncertainty about how to diagnose and manage SCAD patients, so we recommend you get well informed about SCAD and go into appointments armed with a list of questions and outcomes that you would like. Be ready to teach and self-advocate… Ask any medical professional you interact with if they have heard of SCAD!

Long-time SCAD survivor Catherine Beck talks about being your own advocate here.

We recommend that you:

  • download* our leaflets and information sheets, including the Aftercare for SCAD and SCAD for Healthcare Professionals leaflets, and a list of suggested questions patients can ask their healthcare professionals about SCAD.
  • order FREE printed leaflets and In Case of Emergency (ICE) cards from our Shop (UK & Ireland only).
  • download* a copy of the Beat SCAD summary of the European Position Paper on SCAD.
  • download* a copy of our summary of the Genome Wide Association Study research.
  • look around our website and note down relevant information.
  • watch videos of SCAD experts discuss SCAD, management, medication, genetics and other research.
  • keep up to date with the latest SCAD research papers and share with your healthcare professionals.
  • if you’re having ongoing chest pain or other symptoms, keep a journal of symptoms (physical and mental) and feelings which may help recap events and dates in medical appointment.

*Request via our Downloads form.

Request Documents
This is required
Please select which documents you would like to receive by email:
 
download without entering email

FAQs

There is lots of information about SCAD on our website and in our downloadable leaflets and information sheets.

You can also request FREE printed versions of some of the leaflets from our Shop. 

We also have loads of videos on our Youtube channel about many aspects of SCAD and research.

As SCAD is an uncommon condition, many SCAD patients find they know as much or more about the condition than the healthcare professionals treating them.

Awareness is increasing, but with so many rare and uncommon conditions, it's not possible for doctors to know about all of them. We discuss the importance of advocating for yourself here and being prepared to educate healthcare professionals about SCAD.

We recommend you get well informed about SCAD and go into appointments armed with a list of questions and outcomes that you would like. Complete our Downloads form to request our list of suggested questions for healthcare professionals.