Aortic Aneurysms

While heart attacks get an awful lot of press, and rightfully so, other heart issues such as aortic aneurysms can be just as life-threatening – and they’re a lot harder to detect. Below you will find all you need to know about this potentially deadly condition.

What is an Aortic Aneurysm?

The aorta is the largest artery in the body; when it weakens, bulges, and bursts, the results are often fatal. According to the cardiologists, 9,863 people died from aortic aneurysms in 2014 (the last time data was taken).
A Silent Killer
A structural heart cardiologist, says that “this is a completely silent killer. It often goes unnoticed until someone looks for it with an X-ray, MRI or Ultrasound."
This conditions typically occurs when the weakened aorta starts to grow and dilate. In what is called dissection, the artery wall can also split due to the force of the blood being pumped through.

The Two Types

An aortic aneurysm can occur anywhere along the aorta, but the two main types are a thoracic aortic aneurysm, which occurs in the chest, and an abdominal aortic aneurysm, which is found in the abdomen.

Warning Signs

Unfortunately, the symptoms are often non-existent. According to the doctors, an abdominal aortic aneurysm might cause pain in the back, abdomen, legs or groin, and a pulsing feeling near the navel. With a thoracic aortic aneurysm, people sometimes report difficulty breathing or swallowing, shortness of breath, hoarseness, and coughing.
Risk Factors
Abdominal aortic aneurysms occur more frequently than thoracic aortic aneurysms and are mostly due to hardening of the arteries. According to the doctors, those who smoke, are three to five times more likely to develop an abdominal aortic aneurysm.
For thoracic aortic aneurysms, the risk seems to be more genetic. Those with a family history of conditions such as Marfan syndrome or Loeys-Dietz syndrome should discuss the risk with their doctors. High blood pressure or cholesterol, and smoking can make matters worse.
Screening
Aortic aneurysms can be detected by echocardiogram, MRI, ultrasound, or X-ray. The experts suggest that men who have smoked and are between the ages of 65-75 should undergo an ultrasound screening for an abdominal aortic aneurysm, even if they are not showing any symptoms. There is not enough evidence to determine if women need regular screening.
“Those with a family history of aortic aneurysms should be screened even in the absence of risk factors,” says a cardiologist.

Treatment

If an aortic aneurysm is detected, doctors can prescribe medications to lower blood pressure or cholesterol, which can help to prevent it from enlarging. If the bulge is already large or grows quickly between screenings, surgery to graft the damaged section might help.
Prevention
If you smoke, it’s about time you quit. Uncontrolled blood pressure is another major risk factor, and cholesterol is also a concern. Therefore, Dr. recommends that people work with their doctors to control cholesterol and blood pressure.
Don’t forget your lifestyle: A healthy diet and frequent exercise can help to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Make sure that your diet includes fruit, lean meats, fish, whole grains, and vegetables. Avoid saturated fat, and added salt and sugar.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                
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Causes, symptoms, treatment and everything else about cardiac tamponade that you should know

Cardiac tamponade is a medical emergency in which blood or fluids fill the space between the sac that covers the heart and the heart muscle. This places extreme pressure on the heart. The pressure prevents the heart from expanding fully and functioning properly. Hence the heart can’t pump enough blood to the rest of the body, which leads to organ failure, shock, and even death. “There are many causes for cardiac tamponade. It could be caused due to malignancies, especially breast cancer or lung cancer, infectious agents such as viruses, bacteria, or fungal infections, connective tissue diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, aortic aneurysm or dissection, and chronic kidney disease. It could also arise as a side effect from medical procedures such as radiation therapy, accidental perforation during cardiac catheterization, angiography, or post cardiovascular surgery,” said a Dr.

The symptoms vary with the underlying cause and how fast the tamponade has developed. It may present sub acutely with anxiety, fatigue, altered mental status and edema. Patient can also experience shortness of breath, rapid heart rate and rapid breathing.

Cardiac tamponade often has three signs, commonly known as Beck’s triad. They include:
• Low blood pressure and weak pulse
• Distended neck veins
• Rapid heartbeat combined with soft heart sounds

“Presence of these three symptoms helps the medical professional suspect the presence of cardiac tamponade. This is confirmed by medical tests such as ECG, Echocardiography, and Chest X-rays. Imaging tests like an MRI or CT scan can help the doctor get a more accurate idea of the condition and appropriately evaluate its severity,” added the Dr.

Cardiac tamponade is a medical emergency that requires hospitalization. The treatment of cardiac tamponade has two purposes: relieving of pressure on the heart and treatment of the underlying condition. In order to manage the emergency situation and relieve the pressure on the heart, a procedure called pericardiocentesis is performed.

The safest way of performing this procedure is by an emergency subxiphoid percutaneous drainage under the guidance of an echocardiogram. If the patient is stable, the pericardiocentesis can be done under fluoroscopic guidance and a pig tail catheter can be left in place to drain the fluid in case there is any further accumulation.

Once the emergency situation has been managed, determination and treatment of the underlying cause will prevent further episodes of tamponade.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.    
 
PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-                      

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FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                       

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Eating more fruit may lower your risk of lethal aneurysm

Study Highlights:

• People who ate more than two servings of fruit daily had a 25 percent lower risk of 
• 
  
• abdominal aortic aneurysm than those who ate the least fruit.
• 
  
• While no association was found for vegetables, researchers stress that vegetables 
• 
  
• also remain important for health.

 Eating more fruit may decrease your risk of suffering a dangerous vascular condition, 

according to new research.

In a study, people who reported eating more than two servings of fruit daily had a lower risk of 

abdominal aortic aneurysm than those who ate the least amount of fruit.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm is a ballooning of the lower part of the aorta, the main blood 

vessel that supplies the body. It’s relatively rare, but can be lethal. Older men, especially 

those who have smoked, are at higher risk.

Ultrasound screening, which uses sound waves to image structures in the body, can easily 

detect the condition.

Researchers divided more than 80,000 people, ages 46-84, into four equal-size groups 

based on how much fruit and vegetables they reported eating.

In the next 13 years, hospital and death records showed 1,086 people had abdominal aortic 

aneurysms, including 222 whose aneurysms ruptured. More than 80 percent of the 

aneurysms and ruptures were in men.

Researchers found:

• Compared to those eating the least amount of fruit (less than one full serving), those 
• 
  
• who ate the most (more than two servings daily, not counting juice) had a 25 percent 
• 
  
• lower risk of the aortic condition and 43 percent lower risk of a ruptured aneurysm.
• 
  
• Compared to those who didn't eat any fruit, those who had two servings a day had a 31 
• 
  
• percent lower risk of a non ruptured aneurysm and a 39 percent lower risk of a ruptured 
• 
  
• aneurysm.

“A high consumption of fruits may help to prevent many vascular diseases, & our study 

suggests that a lower risk of abdominal aortic aneurysm will be one of the benefits,” said the 

Dr.

High levels of antioxidants in fruits might protect against abdominal aortic aneurysm by 

preventing oxidative stress that can promote inflammation.

Researchers found no association for vegetables, which are also rich in antioxidants. 

Vegetables lack some types of antioxidants that are in fruits, which might help explain the 

fruit versus vegetable findings.

“Vegetables remain important for health. Other studies have found that eating more fruits 

and vegetables may decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, high 

blood pressure, and several cancers,” Dr. said.

In the study, people ate apples and pears the most, followed by bananas, oranges and other 

citrus fruits.

The Dr. advises the average adult to eat four to five servings each of fruits and vegetables 

daily, based on a 2000 calorie diet. A diet rich in vegetables and fruits is a way of getting 

important nutrients that most people don’t get enough of, including folate, magnesium, 

potassium and dietary fiber, as well as vitamins A, C, and K. They are also naturally low in 

saturated fat and cholesterol.

Being a nonsmoker is also crucial in preventing abdominal aortic aneurysm, Dr. said. 

“Never start smoking; and if you already do smoke, quit today. It’s never too late.”

ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

ps- those interested in recipes are free to view my blog-

http://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/

for info about knee replacement, you can view my blog-

http://Knee replacement-stick club.blogspot.com/

for crochet designs

http://My Crochet Creations.blogspot.com/