Aneurysm

A person's risk of developing an aneurysm may be inherited. Ascending aortic aneurysms and berry aneurysms are especially likely to run in families. The men of an affected family are more likely to develop aneurysms than are the women. Scientists haven't yet identified the responsible genes in humans, though they have identified some in mice.

About half of all people with ascending aortic aneurysms are born with deformations known as Marfan's syndrome. Such people are unusually tall with long extremities. Abraham Lincoln is thought to have had Marfan's syndrome. They also have a weakness in the aortic wall, just where the aorta leaves the top of the heart.

Two other types of aneurysms are mycotic and atherosclerotic aneurysms. Mycotic aneurysms are caused by a bacterial or fungal infection. Almost any such organism can damage the arteries, but the infection must be very deep and severe. The bacteria salmonella and syphilis both seem to have a special liking for arterial walls.

Atherosclerotic aneurysms are linked to the process that causes coronary artery disease, which is the buildup of fatty deposits on the inner wall of the arteries. However, even someone with severe atherosclerosis may not develop an aneurysm if they are not already genetically predisposed.

Risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, inactivity, smoking, and obesity, are also risk factors for aneurysms. Severe aneurysms are probably due to a combination of genes and poor cardiovascular health. Occasionally, aneurysms develop where stab or gunshot wounds have perforated an artery.

Aneurysms often cause no pain. They're sometimes detected accidentally in body scans. The most likely way you will notice a cerebral, thoracic, or abdominal aneurysm is if it grows big enough to press against nerve-bearing tissue. Unfortunately, this means the aneurysm has grown recently, so the warning comes late. Fast-growing aneurysms are the ones most likely to rupture. Even large aneurysms often cause no symptoms.

Cerebral (brain) aneurysms occasionally cause some of these symptoms as they start to swell:

• double vision
• facial pain
• loss of vision
• severe headaches from minor bleeding
• squinting
• tremors or uncontrollable movement of an eye or eyelid

With thoracic aneurysms, symptoms are rare but may include:

• chest pain, upper back pain, or both
• coughing up of blood
• difficulty swallowing
• hoarseness
• Horner's syndrome – drooping eyelid, absence of sweating on one side of the face
• wheezing

Abdominal aneurysms are more likely to cause symptoms that:

• pulsate in the abdomen
• cause upper abdominal pain, severe lower back pain, or both

The symptom of a ruptured abdominal aneurysm is intense pain and tenderness in the stomach or lower back area. Ruptured thoracic aneurysms cause excruciating pain in the upper chest that spreads to the back and sometimes down the trunk. Blood loss and failure of vital organs such as the kidneys can lead to fatal consequences in cases of thoracic and abdominal aneurysms. Ruptured cerebral aneurysms cause a hemorrhagic stroke, with all of its symptoms.

Sometimes, you'll feel symptoms that will alert your doctor to a possible aneurysm, or your doctor may feel the pulsations of the larger abdominal aneurysms with their hands when they examine the upper abdomen. In either case, your doctor will order a scan. Ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT) scans can all locate aneurysms.

If the aneurysm is discovered while it is still small and there are no symptoms, your doctor will generally recommend a watch-and-wait approach. This includes repeat exams and scans every 6 to 12 months.

The treatment for a ruptured aneurysm is emergency surgery. The aneurysm is usually replaced with a synthetic graft or closed off with a clip. Treatment of a mycotic aneurysm involves taking antibiotics for a certain period of time, followed by removal of the aneurysm. Surgery is a lot safer if the aneurysm hasn't ruptured yet. If you're a man over 65 years of age and your family has a history of aneurysms or hemorrhagic stroke, you should ask for a screening scan.

Aneurysms under a certain size (their size depends on their location) rarely rupture. Abdominal aneurysms over 5.5 cm and thoracic aneurysms over 6 cm in diameter pose a real risk of rupture and are best treated surgically. Surgery to repair an aneurysm is major surgery and involves an incision. In some cases, surgeons have developed new techniques to close off the aneurysm without a large incision, by approaching them from the inside the artery (endovascular approach).

Screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm can be an effective way to help detect aneurysms early, especially for people who may be at risk (e.g., people with a history of smoking). If necessary, elective surgery can be performed to help prevent rupture of the aneurysm. Screening in men aged 65 to 74 years old can be effective to reduce the number of ruptures.

Whatever your genetic profile, you can reduce your risk of aneurysm and rupture by:

• eating dark green vegetables
• eating less salt
• exercising
• losing weight
• quitting smoking
• taking potassium supplements (if appropriate and recommended by your doctor)

The blood pressure-lowering medication propranolol* and other types of beta-blockers may reduce the risk of enlargement and rupture of detected aneurysms.

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