An international team of researchers has identified new genes that are associated with an increased risk of a type of heart attack primarily affecting young to middle-aged women.

The study, published in Nature Genetics, identified 16 genes that increased the risk of a SCAD -- or Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection -- which is most common in women under the age of 60 and is a leading cause of heart attacks around the time of pregnancy

SCAD occurs when a bruise or bleed occurs in the wall of a coronary artery, cutting off the blood to part of the heart. This leads to a heart attack.

However, people who suffer from SCAD tend to be generally healthy and it can sometimes happen more than once. To date, little is known about why a SCAD happens, often striking out of the blue, meaning that it is currently impossible to prevent.