Can you live a normal life with an enlarged aorta?
With close follow-up, good blood pressure control and a healthy lifestyle, many patients living with aortic aneurysms can do well and may not need an intervention.
What does it mean if you have an enlarged aorta?
What is an Enlarged Aorta or Aortic Aneurysm? The aorta is your largest artery and it brings oxygenated blood to all parts of the body. If the walls of the aorta become weak, an enlargement can occur, which is known as an aortic aneurysm.
Is an enlarged aorta life threatening?
Tears in the wall of the aorta and rupture of the aorta are the main complications of thoracic aortic aneurysm. A ruptured aortic aneurysm can lead to life-threatening internal bleeding. In general, the larger the aneurysm, the greater the risk of rupture.
Can an enlarged aorta cause shortness of breath?
Thoracic aortic aneurysms may expand slowly over time without causing any symptoms. If they become large enough, they may occasionally cause pain in the chest or back, and may exert pressure on nearby structures of the upper airway, causing cough, hoarseness of voice or shortness of breath.
What are the causes of enlarged aorta?
Atherosclerosis is the one of the commonest causes of enlarged aorta, heart attack and various heart diseases. Uncontrolled diabetes damages the blood vessels causing premature accelerated atherosclerosis. This damages the blood vessels and can cause aneurysm or enlarge aorta.
When to consider aortic surgery?
In chronic aortic regurgitation, valvular surgery is needed when the regurgitant volume becomes moderate to severe. However, certain etiologies may dictate surgery even if the degree of regurgitation is mild.
What is the treatment for a mildly dilated aorta?
As I tell everyone with dilated aortic roots, you need to investigate ARB therapy. ARBs (like telmisartan and losartan) and ACE inhibitors (perindopril in particular) have been shown to reduce aortic diameters in humans when taken in sufficiently high doses (at least the FDA-approved max).
What causes dilated aorta?
Certain forces within the body contribute to aorta weakening and dilation. The main factors include elevated blood pressure along with other processes such as inflammation, nutritional deficiencies and lipoprotein deposition, explains HealthCentral. Other issues leading to dilated aortas include trauma or infection.