Guide To Common Aortic Dissection Symptoms

An aortic dissection occurs when there is a tear in the inner layer of the aorta, the major artery that carries blood from the heart to other areas of the body. This condition is considered a life-threatening medical emergency. Aortic dissections can happen following a car accident or another incident that results in a traumatic blow to the chest. Patients with Marfan's syndrome are at a higher risk of aortic dissection, and individuals with high blood pressure also have an elevated risk. Aortic dissections occur more frequently in patients in their sixties and eighties than in other age groups, and the incidence of this condition is twice as high in males as it is in females. Patients who perform high-intensity weightlifting and similar strength training exercises have an increased risk of this type of dissection, and the condition sometimes develops in otherwise healthy women during pregnancy. To diagnose aortic dissection, doctors perform specialized heart tests, including a CT scan, a transesophageal echocardiogram, and a magnetic resonance angiogram. Patients with a type B aortic dissection may sometimes be treated with medication alone. Those with type A dissections require a surgical procedure to reconstruct the aorta.

The symptoms outlined below are some of those patients who have an aortic dissection may experience.

Chest Or Back Pain

An aortic dissection generally causes sudden, severe chest or back pain. Most patients describe the pain as a tearing, shearing, or ripping sensation, and it may feel similar to pain experienced during a heart attack. Beginning under the breastbone, it changes position and can radiate up to the neck or down the patient's back. Many patients with back pain caused by an aortic dissection feel the pain in their upper back at first. In addition to chest and back pain, some individuals also notice severe abdominal pain. Patients experiencing these pains should alert those around them so an ambulance can be called. Paramedics can start life-saving measures on the way to the hospital, and the patient will be seen immediately on arrival.

Read more about the signs of aortic dissection now.