QUESTION: Can you provide info regarding ruptured ascending aortic aneurysm? Since my father died of it last year, I had several people tell me their fathers died of it too.
My father was an apparently healthy 56-year-old man who took good care of himself.
Anything you can tell me about this illness would be helpful.
Thank you.
ANSWER: Aortic dissection is not a rare disease, for there are about 2000 new cases diagnosed each year.
Men are affected about three times more frequently than women, and the disease is seen most frequently between the ages of 50 and 70, so your Dad falls right into the averages.
Many of the patients with the condition have atherosclerosis and hypertension, although it may occur when no hypertension has been found.
An aneurysm is the dilatation of an artery due to weakness and stretching of the artery wall forming a sac like structure. This wall has three layers, and all three layers are involved in the formation of the sac.
The most commonly accepted explanation of the formation of a dissecting aneurysm is that a tear develops in the inner layer of the wall. The pressure within the vessel, forces some of the blood into the tear, and it gradually works its way between two layers in a process known as "dissection". The ascending aorta is the part of the aorta that starts at the heart (right after the aortic valve and curves upward and around within the chest before it turns downward leading to the abdomen and the rest of the body (descending aorta).
This part of the aorta is the most common site for the origins of dissecting aneurysms.
The aneurysm may be present for some time before the dissection occurs, and can be totally without symptoms.
However when the dissection begins, there is usually sharp pain.
When this occurs, it is considered a true medical emergency for the possibility of death is quite high.
At one time as many as 90 percent of the patients died.
Treatment must start immediately, with the goal of lowering the blood pressure and stabilizing the patient's condition.
When rupture occurs there may be a sudden drop of blood pressure, in which case immediate surgical intervention is the only hope to save the patient's life.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
