Contents:
- What is aortic aneurysm?
- What are the symptoms of aortic aneurysm?
- What are the causes of aortic aneurysm?
- Atherosclerosis
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Cystic medial necrosis
- Mycotic aneurysms
- Inflammatory aneurysm
- Injury
- Who is at risk for aortic aneurysm?
- Can we prevent aortic aneurysm?
- Will aortic aneurysm always end in death?
Many people were surprised when Indonesian culinary figure Bondan Winarno was reportedly dead recently. Because, even though he was no longer young, he still looked healthy and fit. Through several media then it was revealed that in fact since 2015 he had been diagnosed with aortic aneurysm, which his doctor called a "time bomb that could break and turn off at any time."
What is aortic aneurysm? Who is at risk of experiencing it? See the explanation below.
What is aortic aneurysm?
Aneurysms are bubbles in the artery walls (blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to other parts of the body). Enlarged aneurysms can rupture and cause bleeding, even death.
Most aneurysms occur in the aorta, the main artery that runs from the heart to the chest and abdomen.
There are two types of aortic aneurysms:
- Thoracic aortic aneurysm: occurs in the part of the aorta in the chest
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm: occurs in the part of the aorta in the stomach
What are the symptoms of aortic aneurysm?
Aneurysms usually do not cause real symptoms. This is why this condition is very fatal because the sufferer just realizes that after the bubbles in the veins are very large or already broken, and often it's too late to be saved. Usually, new aneurysms are found when the patient intentionally runs a health test or medical check-up.
However, when the aneurysm has enlarged there are usually several symptoms that can be felt:
- Chest pain
- Back pain
- Strange or uncomfortable feeling in the upper chest
- Strong pulse in the abdominal area
- Feel full after eating just a little
- Nausea or vomiting
- Head of "Keliyengan"
- Limp
- Short breath
- Fast heart rate
- Numbness, tingling, or cold sensation in the hands or feet
- Fainted
When there are bubbles in the blood vessels, blood clots will usually form. If this blood clot breaks down and flows to other parts of the body (embolism), it can block the flow of blood to important organs such as the lungs, liver, kidneys, and make it stop functioning.
What are the causes of aortic aneurysm?
Aortic aneurysm arises due to weakness in the aortic wall. This weakness can occur due to birth defects, or it can also occur when adults due to the following conditions:
Atherosclerosis is a condition when the arteries are damaged or blocked. In this condition, cholesterol-derived plaques stick to the walls of blood vessels and make them weak. Apart from being the main cause of aortic aneurysm, atherosclerosis also often causes heart disease and heart attacks.
High blood pressure puts pressure on the aortic wall. If left for years, this pressure can lead to inflating blood vessel walls.
Uncontrolled diabetes can make the condition of atherosclerosis appear earlier and more severe, thus damaging the blood vessels and making them weak, easily attacked by other disorders.
In this condition, the medial layer (middle) in the blood vessels deteriorates, and there is an abnormal layer that weakens the supporting structure of the blood vessel wall. This usually occurs in some hereditary diseases such as Marfan's syndrome and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Sometimes it also occurs due to valvular heart disease, or during pregnancy.
Occurs when a bacterium enters the blood vessel system and attacks the blood vessel wall. Usually bacteria will enter through areas that have been injured or are weak from birth. Although it has now begun to scarce, in the early 20th century one of the main causes of this condition was severe syphilis disease.
Inflammatory conditions or vasculitis such as psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis can trigger inflammation in the blood vessel walls. If not treated, this will weaken the aortic wall.
Injuries that affect the chest or abdomen, such as when a vehicle crashes or falls hard, can damage parts of the aorta, making it weaker and easier to experience bubbling.
Who is at risk for aortic aneurysm?
In most cases, the cause of the aortic aneurysm is unknown. However, there are several groups of people who have a higher risk of experiencing this condition, namely:
- 55 years old or older
- Male sex
- Having hypertension, aka high blood pressure
- Smoke
- Has a congenital disease that weakens blood vessels, such as Marfan's syndrome
- There is a history of aortic aneurysm in the family
- Having atherosclerosis
Abdominal aortic aneurysms are 5 times more common in men than women. Aneurysm itself occurs in 3-9 men out of 100, whose age is above 50 years.
Can we prevent aortic aneurysm?
There is no medication that can prevent aortic aneurysms. However, there are some things we can do to keep blood vessels healthy and strong.
- Consume low fat and low cholesterol foods
- Increase body activity: exercise or move to increase your heart rate, at least 30 minutes a day
- Do not smoke
- Keep blood pressure normal
Will aortic aneurysm always end in death?
If diagnosed immediately and performed surgery to overcome it, many people can recover as usual. However, because this condition usually occurs in the elderly, the healing process can be difficult and take a long time.
If the aortic aneurysm is not immediately treated by a doctor, there are some complications that can occur, and the effect can be fatal:
- Blood clotting: This clot can block blood flow to certain parts of the body or organs, which causes the organ to stop functioning.
- Internal bleeding: If the aneurysm ruptures, internal bleeding will occur in the body. When this happens, the patient must be taken to the hospital immediately because it can take life if left untreated.
- Circulatory shock: If the bleeding is severe enough, the blood pressure will drop dramatically and the body's organs will not receive enough blood so that it cannot function normally. This condition is called "shock" and can be life threatening.
