1 reason why healthy people have heart attacks, and what experts say could help – CBC

Updated guidelines aim to raise awareness for family doctors about testing for genetic predisposition

Apr 26, 2026

Darren Ali says the only warning sign that he was going to suffer a “widowmaker” while otherwise healthy at age 45 was some upper back pain.

Then, three months later, he had a massive heart attack.

“It’s almost like an elastic band’s tightening inside your chest,” said Ali, now 52, who lives in Maple Ridge, B.C.

Had Ali taken a simple blood test earlier in life, he might have known that he has high levels of a genetically-determined, cholesterol-carrying particle circulating in his bloodstream. He might also have known he was at increased risk of a heart attack because of that particle, and he might have been better able to prevent it.

Research indicates that about one in five Canadians — roughly eight million people — have high levels of Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), putting them at greater risk of a heart attack or stroke. And yet, many people have no idea because there is no routine screening for Lp(a), which also has no symptoms.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/lipoprotein-a-heart-attack-stroke-screening-9.7174934