What is an aortic dissection?

Aortic dissection is considered by professionals as a medical emergency in which you must intervene immediately. The reason for the importance of being treated as soon as possible is in its high mortality rate. Therefore, in this article we will discover more about this serious condition.

Surely, we have never heard of this term. However, its incidence is becoming more frequent. Therefore, we believe it is vital to know what an aortic dissection is, its causes and symptoms, as well as discover some methods to prevent its appearance.

Aortic dissection

Aortic dissection, as stated in the article Acute aortic dissection, is a tear that occurs in the aorta. This causes the middle layer of this artery to be exposed to the blood flow that flows through them. The consequence is the reduction of blood flow or that the aorta ends up breaking.

Both consequences put the patient's life at risk. Above all, in the event that the aorta ruptures the chances of the patient dying are quite high. Therefore, it is important to identify your symptoms to see the doctor as soon as possible.

Severe pain in the chest area may indicate that this is an aortic dissection.

Symptomatology

Knowing how to identify the symptomatology that warns of an aortic dissection is essential to be able to go to the doctor and receive a correct diagnosis. Next, we will see some of the signals to which we must pay special attention:

• Sharp, sharp, sharp pain that can be felt in the chest or below the sternum.
• Pale skin and weak pulse.
• Difficulties breathing
• Dizziness accompanied by nausea and sweating.

This symptomatology can make us think that we are facing a heart attack. However, before it is very important that we go to the doctor immediately. Severe pain in the chest area or sternum may indicate that the aorta has ruptured. Given this, we must act as soon as possible.

Maybe you're interested: Vasculitis: what is it and what types are there?

Causes

The causes that can lead a person to experience an aortic dissection can be very diverse. Next, we are going to expose some that the article gathers Aortic dissection and hypertensive emergency. Report of a case.

• Degeneration of the mean: the vascular wall weakens due, for example, to arteriosclerosis. The aortic wall thins and dilates, increasing the chances of a dissection.
• Arteritis: inflammation that causes the narrowing of the arteries and prevents blood from flowing properly.
• Valvular diseasesValves are damaged due to aging, trauma or infection, which causes them to weaken and may be exposed to a possible dissection.

These are some of the possible reasons why a person may suffer an aortic dissection. However, Is there an option to prevent this from happening? The answer is yes, so, let's see how it is possible to reduce the chances of suffering from this disease.

Discover: Aortic injury

Prevent aortic dissection

Aortic dissection only has one possible treatment and it is surgery. Therefore, the best way to avoid having to go through this is to carry out preventive measures. For this, the best thing we can do if we suffer a valvulopathy, arteritis or some other problem is to perform periodic medical check-ups. Likewise, it will also be very important to maintain adequate blood pressure.

In the event that you have a problem that weakens the arteries or exposes you to aortic dissection, We recommend that you ask your doctor what you can do to avoid this unpleasant outcome. He will give you a series of personalized options that will be of great help to you.

We hope that this article has allowed you to discover a type of tear that occurs in the aorta and that can be fatal. Also, we want you to be aware of the importance of periodic reviews and that, faced with the possibility of finding yourself in a risk group, take much stricter measures to prevent as much as possible a dissection occurs.

Did you know the concept of aortic dissection? If you suffer from any of the diseases or disorders exposed, your chest hurts and you have difficulty breathing go to emergencies as soon as possible. A quick intervention in these situations is essential.