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Ascending aortic aneurysm could be genetic
Aortic Aneurysms | Last Active: Mar 26 10:01pm | Replies (13)Comment receiving replies
Aneurysms can be genetic. In my case I had 2, one in the brain and an ascending aortic. Both repaired. My brother has 3 in his brain and we know of at least a couple of family members that died of ruptured aneurysms.
My cardiologist who is also a geneticist, checked for know markers and could not find one, so his assumption is there may be one yet to be identified and enrolled us in a genetic research he was conducting, it won’t help us but may help others.
In my case I also have a bicuspid aortic valve which he told me are known to be contributors to aneurysms, so double whammy. My children were tested both for brain and possible bicuspid valves and were negative. They will have to get new tests maybe in 10 years or so.
In my case, he orders full aortic MRAs every 4 years to make sure no other aneurysms are appearing, remember the Echo only sees the aorta around the heart but not the descending side all the way to the abdomen, and aneurysms can appear anywhere along the aorta (and other arteries). You should also not rely solely on the Echo to determine size and growth rate, CTs are more accurate. My MRAs last about 3 hrs as they check groin, abdomen and thorax. I also get brain MRAs by my neurosurgeon.
All the best
Replies to "Aneurysms can be genetic. In my case I had 2, one in the brain and an..."
@houston13
You are lucky to have great doctors. I am working on my 2nd cardio, I had only 15 mins, never looked at any of my records. He was fixated on my LDL numbers, and his assistsant could not find it on her Ipad, so I pulled out my paper copies. I finally mention my ascending thoraic aorta dilstion of 4cm and he just said do yearly ct exams, and do surgery once it get to 5.5 cm. Never offered any genetic testing, no offer to check my brain, neck, or femoral artery, or descending aorta. My height is 5'1" so my dilation is completly different than a 6 foot 1 male. Asked for a MRI heat, he dismissed it. Statin prescribed, echo, nuc stress test and onto his next patient. And I have a strong family hx, both parents had hx of cardiovascular disease as well, but who cares, there is no one to really review my medical hx.
@houston13
Thanks for the words of encouragement. I will have to keep looking if this 2nd cardio doesn't want to address my concerns. On top of that I have HBP, and I am trying to regulate that after losing 42 lbs. and having bouts of hypotension.
My regular doctor has been great and has ordered many tests for me, to save the cardio time, but now I just need a cardio to actually take the time to help me. I have had to learn what I needed to do on my own, luckly I lost the weight 2 .5 months before I found out about the dilation in Oct 2025
Right now google AI is helping me fill in the gaps, answering all of my questions and concerns. If only google AI could be my specialist doctor in all healthcare needs, I would be set.
Take care
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@houston13
Thank you for the information!
Best to you!