A new study has identified one reason why heart attacks have increased among young people.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic examined data from nearly 1,500 heart attack patients between the ages of 18 and 65, which is younger than the usual age of a person who experiences an attack.

They found 1 in 10 women under 65 suffer heart attacks due to SCAD, spontaneous coronary artery dissection.

"That's when a little tear forms on the inside layer of the artery wall and blood starts to collect within the artery wall," says Dr. Sam Robinson, a cardiologist at Nuvance Health, which is part of Northwell Health.

Once that happens, the wall swells and blocks the artery, which can lead to a heart attack. Robinson says although it's rare that people in their 20s and 30s experience a SCAD-related heart attack, it's something doctors are becoming more aware of.

He says the symptoms of these attacks are the same as ones that occur when plaque in the artery ruptures and causes a clot that blocks blood flow to the heart.

"Chest pressure or chest pain radiating to the arm and or radiating to the jaw. But other people can present atypical symptoms such as abdominal discomfort or just a general feeling that something's wrong," says Robinson.

He recommends anyone who experiences any of these symptoms to visit an emergency room and get checked out.