Heart attacks are the leading cause of death worldwide, but what many people don’t know is that younger adults, especially women, they are at risk. Too often, their symptoms are dismissed, or the real cause is missed entirely.

Dr. Claire Raphael, interventional cardiologist at Mayo Clinic, led a 15-year study uncovering these hidden causes: artery tears, coronary spasms, and other conditions that standard tests don’t always detect. These findings are critical because they explain why so many young women are misdiagnosed and why lives are being lost unnecessarily.

Her research is forcing medicine to rethink long-held assumptions about who gets heart attacks and why. And the takeaway is simple: awareness saves lives.