Ascending aortic aneurysm

I was diagnosed with a 4.4 cm Ascending Aortic Aneurysm 8 years ago when I was 62 yrs old. I have a CT scan done every 6 months for my own peace of mind. I do lots of exercise, i.e., walking and lifting light dumbbells (10-20lbs) and it has not caused me any problems. I keep my blood pressure under control and avoid straining while exercising and not lifting anything heavier than about 40 lbs. I pick up my grandkids though sometimes who weigh a bit more than that but I don't worry about it because I am not straining. There are times I will lift something slightly heavier but again I don't strain and it is not regularly. You just don't want to cause regular spikes in your BP causing your systolic BP to go above 160. Don't lift anything that makes you strain and hold your breath while lifting. I am not a medical person. All I know is what I've learned over the past eight years after being diagnosed from working with my cardiologist, and my own research on lots of reputable sites like Mayo Clinic or Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, etc. 4.1cm is very small and aneurysms tend to grow very slowly if at all. Mine has not grown during the 8 years I have known about it. I think you've got a bright future ahead. Live your life to the fullest. Enjoy the things you like to do. I wish you nothing but the best and may God bless you.

That link was to explain what it is. I didn't know I had it either until the pulmonologist found it during the period my primary care doctor was trying to find my issues. Obstructive Apnea effects high blood pressure and reduced oxygen levels and puts stress on the cardiovascular system. The pulmonologist determined that I was stopping breathing and average of 20 times and hour. Of course my primary care and the pulmonologist and local cardiologist thought that was driving my symptoms. After about 4 months, my primary care doctor understood that it wasn't the only thing going on.

I am not disagreeing with you about the harmful effects of sleep apnea. I have sleep apnea and I use a cpap mask to sleep. What I am concerned about is saying sleep apnea affects aortic aneurysm, unless you can point to research that establishes the connection.

It did specifically mention cardiovascular problems:

"Metabolic syndrome. This disorder, which includes high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, high blood sugar and an increased waist circumference, is linked to a higher risk of heart disease."

Cardiovascular problems. Sudden drops in blood oxygen levels that occur during central sleep apnea can adversely affect heart health.

If there's underlying heart disease, these repeated multiple episodes of low blood oxygen — known as hypoxia or hypoxemia — worsen prognosis and increase the risk of irregular heart rhythms.

It is number 2 because to manage blood pressure issues etc., it has to be managed. Sleep Apnea is a common problem whereas TAA aren't which is why it is paramount to go to a center that specializes in things like Bentall procedures etc.

As far as medical papers, there are several:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21442254/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9019905/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26221978/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33214207/
Those articles also have citations to other apnea and aortic studies.

Keep in mind, when you read about hypertension at Mayo or Cleveland Clinic, that don't mention TAA either but obstructive sleep apnea is listed as one of the causes.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/symptoms-causes/syc-20373410
Secondary hypertension
This type of high blood pressure is caused by an underlying condition. It tends to appear suddenly and cause higher blood pressure than does primary hypertension. Conditions and medicines that can lead to secondary hypertension include:

Adrenal gland tumors

Blood vessel problems present at birth, also called congenital heart defects

Cough and cold medicines, some pain relievers, birth control pills, and other prescription drugs

Illegal drugs, such as cocaine and amphetamines

Kidney disease

Obstructive sleep apnea

Thyroid problems

Thanks for the links. I’m the type of person who has to see the research and evaluate for myself.

I need to read the research because there are many people with sleep apnea who do not have an aortic aneurysm.

Yoour aneurysm appears to be SLOWly expanding. A measurment of 4.0 to 4.1 is only a ONE TENTH (1/10) increase. that is not unusual. You should also be aware that the "Gold Standard" for measuring the Aneurysm is with a CT with Contrast. Using anyother type measurement will not be consistent as you are scanned annually.

This thread and this group is about aortic aneurysms. Only about 10 people in 100,000 have a Thoracic aortic aneurysm. The context is about controlling blood pressure and sleep apnea in order to not exacerbate an aneurysm. Hypertension doesn't cause them nor does apnea. Primary hypertension can be controlled with medications etc. Sleep apnea can cause secondary hypertension that may come and go, often undetected. I had random blood pressure issues up until about a year before I had open heart surgery. In around October 2023 I ended up with primary hypertension. I didn't know about the apnea until Oct 2023 when I had a sleep study ordered along with an echocardiogram. The Echo found the 3.7 to 4.4 ascending aortic and root aneurysm and in May of 2024 it was 4.3 to 4.3 by the same technician. Based on re-measurement of those 2 scans and a new CT with Contrast, they were thought to be about 4.7 to 4.8 but apparently stable. Of course I had been controlling the blood pressure and apnea since Dec 23 at that point. I still have a section close to the aortic arch that is 4.4.