Your heart is indeed the most powerful muscle within your body. It helps in pumping enough blood to help you function proficiently. Aorta is the largest blood vessel. Even though it is tough and durable, sometimes, the walls might weaken and bulge, known as an Aortic aneurysm. It might cause some leaks, which will force you to spill some blood within your body.
Some Aortic Aneurysms might burst, but not all. Others will force blood flow away from organs and tissues. It might cause problems like kidney damage, heart attacks, stroke, and even fatal injuries. So, getting proper treatment after learning about the symptoms is really important to avoid the issue getting out of hand.
How serious are Aortic Aneurysms?
Well, honestly speaking, Aortic Aneurysms will not usually pose any serious health threat. But, there is always a growing risk that the larger Aneurysm will burst or rupture if not taken time to treat it. A ruptured Aortic Aneurysm can easily cause massive internal bleeding, proving fatal to some extent.
Around 8 out of 10 people will either die from the rupture before they can even make it to the hospital or might not even survive the surgery. So, getting it resolved on time is important.
The symptoms to check
The aortic aneurysm symptoms will mostly grow slowly. There are mostly no symptoms, making them pretty difficult to detect from the get-go. Most problems start small and stay that way, even though some will grow bigger with time.
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It is really hard to predict how quickly Aortic Aneurysm might grow and cause some trouble. However, with enough growth, you will come across some signs and symptoms to follow. Those are listed below for your reference.
- Cough
- Back pain
- Scratchy or weak voice
- Shortness of breath
- Pain or tenderness in the chest area
The aortic aneurysm symptoms will differ in case of rupture or dissection. Learning about that beforehand is also important to get emergency medical treatment shortly after.
- Trouble in swallowing
- Breath shortness
- Loss of consciousness
- Lower blood pressure
- Difficulty in breathing
- Pain in not just the chest area but the neck, jaws, and arms
- Sudden sharp pain towards the upper back portion that then spreads downwards
Some Aortic Aneurysms will never rupture or won’t lead to dissection. During such instances, you won’t be facing any symptoms, and it is hard to determine if you need treatment for it or not.
Some facts to get into
Before you proceed further with the aortic aneurysm treatment, there are some facts you need to be aware of. It helps you learn more about the problem and get to the core causes behind it.
- Aortic Aneurysm was the main cause of 9904 deaths in the USA in 2019.
- According to the US Preventive Services Task Force, men between the age group of 65 and 75 years who have smoked must get an ultrasound screening for abdominal Aortic Aneurysms, even if they don’t seem to find any symptoms.
- A person with a smoking history will account for around 75% of abdominal Aortic Aneurysms.
- In 2019, around 59% of deaths occurred due to Aortic aneurysms among men.
Get along with the types
Now, let’s get some information on the types of Aortic aneurysms patients might suffer from.
Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm
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A thoracic Aortic Aneurysm mostly occurs in the chest, and both men and women have equal chances of getting it. The chances are subject to increase with growing age.
- Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms are mostly caused by higher blood pressure or if you have undergone sudden injury.
- Sometimes, people might suffer from inherited connective tissue disorders like Ehlers Danlos syndrome or Marfan syndrome. They might get a thoracic Aortic Aneurysm.
- Some signs during such instances are sharp chest pain, shortness of breath, and trouble breathing.
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
As understood from the name itself, the abdominal Aortic Aneurysm happens below the chest, and this issue takes place more than thoracic Aortic Aneurysm among individuals.
- Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm can be mostly seen among men within the age group of 65 and older.
- These problems are more common among white people where the abdominal aortic Aneurysm causes atherosclerosis. However, injury and infections can also cause them!
- Most of the time, this issue won’t have any symptoms. If you still call for some symptoms, those are pain in the groin, butts, or leg region and throbbing pain in the side or back.
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An aneurysm is known to happen in any part of your body. Even a ruptured Aneurysm within your brain can cause a stroke in an individual.
- Then you have the peripheral Aortic Aneurysms, mostly found in arteries apart from the aorta and mostly behind the knees, groin, or neck region.
- These kinds of Aneurysms have lesser chances to rupture than Aortic Aneurysms but can easily form blood clots, which is again dangerous for the well-being of an individual.
- These blood clots can easily break away and block the blood flow through the artery.
No matter whichever type of Aneurysm you are suffering from, it is always important to get the best treatment down your side. Doctors will examine your condition first before offering the right solution to follow.
What are the causes?
Aortic Aneurysm can easily develop anywhere within the main artery. The aorta runs from the heart through the chest and covers the belly. When any Aneurysm occurs within the chest, it is termed a thoracic Aortic Aneurysm. Some of the aortic aneurysm causes are listed below for your reference.
- Plaque buildup within the artery walls will prevent the arteries from becoming flexible. Extra pressure will cause the arteries to weaken and widen up. Higher cholesterol and blood pressure will increase the risk involving atherosclerosis. It is pretty common among older generations.
- Aortic Aneurysm can also be seen in younger people as a genetic condition. Marfan syndrome is a genetic condition affecting the connective tissue in your body. It will force the aorta walls to weaken with time.
Apart from these two main points, some other major causes behind the formation of Aortic aneurysms are:
- Inflammation of the blood vessels
- Irregular flow of the aortic valve
- Any infection left untreated
- Traumatic injury without proper treatment on time
How to treat the problem?
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With thoracic Aortic Aneurysm, doctors might sometimes detect abdominal Aortic Aneurysm while covering a routine exam. It means you need an ultrasound as well. The aortic aneurysm treatment depends on the size of the Aneurysm. In case it is less than 5cm or 2 inches, then medication is the first option recommended.
Doctors will prescribe drugs like calcium channel blockers and beta blockers for lowering blood pressure and relaxing blood vessels. However, surgery remains the only option if the Aortic Aneurysm bursts or ruptures.
Whatever the situation is often recommended, head towards the best team of doctors for immediate help! Being in this field for so long, they know how to treat every individual with a proper treatment plan. These plans vary from one to another.
