PASADENA, Md. — It was a typical morning for mom of two, Kristina Auwarter. Exercising, taking care of the kids and then it all took a turn.
“I started feeling the pain go up into my jaw, down my arm. That’s when I knew this isn’t heartburn,” said Kristina Auwarter, Pasadena resident and Heart Attack Survivor.
Her hands went cold. Out of concern her sisters called 911.
“I’ll never forget, the doctor was at the foot of the bed. She grabbed my foot and said, ‘You’re having a heart attack,” said Auwarter.
What she thought was a panic attack, was a Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD). She was only 35 years old.
“The wall of your arteries literally peels. There’s no buildup, plaque or anything. It just spontaneously dissects,” said Auwarter.
She had four stents and a balloon pump put in her heart, then went through cardiac rehab for 12 weeks.
“I couldn’t pick up my son, which was so hard. He was only a year and a half, so I couldn’t pick him up for a couple of weeks. I would get out of breath just walking up the stairs,” said Auwarter.
Nearly 45% of women over the age of 20 are living with some form of cardiovascular disease which is the number 1 killed of women. National Wear Red Day, February 7, raises awareness about women's heart health.
“Women have unique risk factors throughout their lifespan that men do not, related to adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as a history of preeclampsia, early menopause, and polycystic ovary syndrome ,” said Dr. Erin Michos, a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center.
She says these risk factors can linger for decades even after giving birth. As for symptoms of a heart attack, this is what Dr. Michos says to watch out for.
“The most common presenting symptom is chest pain, chest discomfort, and that sometimes can feel like a pressure, a band, a squeezing in the chest can kind of come on suddenly. Patients often feel short of breath. They may feel really nauseated and dizzy,” said Dr. Michos.
But SCAD (Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection), the condition Kristina had, is a different story. It’s unclear if it’s linked to genetics, and the cause still remains unknown.
“We think that the risk is due to an underlying abnormality in the arteries. A lot of women, particularly with SCAD, they don't even really believe that they could be having a heart attack, because they may be younger, may not have high blood pressure, high cholesterol,” said Dr. Michos.
About 90% of individuals who have a SCAD event are women.
“Only about 4% of heart attacks are due to SCAD. But if you look at heart attacks in women under the age of 50, it may be as much of 25% of heart attacks in this age range. And although it can affect men, SCAD has a strong female predominance,” said Dr. Michos.
Despite the unknowns, Auwarter has found support from family and the heart health community.
“It’s so inspiring to know that I’m not fighting this alone. I’m so big on advocating for your health. If something doesn’t feel right, no matter how silly it might sound, go get checked out because you never know.”
Auwarter is part of the Greater Maryland American Heart Association's Woman of Impact campaign, dedicated to raising awareness and much needed funding for research.
