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AA with bicuspid aorta and Sjogren's

Posted by sherrylou51b @sherrylou51b, Jun 27 1:16am

I am 66 years old with and finally diagnosed with Sjogren's Disease. I have had pneumonia twice in 6 months and was ordered a CT scan which showed an aortic aneurysm measuring 4.7 cm and the Echocardiogram showed I have congenital bicuspid aorta. I went to a thoracic cardiac surgeon, and I will have repeat scans in September. I have researched and AA can be associated with Sjogren's and with bicuspid aorta. Should I be more concerned with having Sjogren's and bicuspid aorta and sooner than later repair of the AA?

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sarastewart | @sarastewart | Jun 29 6:11am

Good morning from Sara,

I don’t have Sjogren’s, but I do have a connective tissue disease, which is an autoimmune like what you have. You’ll need to ask your doctor, who treats your autoimmune some questions. What I learned about my autoimmune disease is that my heart tissue can become brittle at a certain point. Brittle meaning that the surgeon may not be able to sew it up properly. My heart tissue may not be sew-able. If this occurs, then I may not be a candidate for surgery. For me, my ejection fraction and another factor are being monitored closely along with the size of my ascending aortic aneurysms. So far so good at 4.0. But like I said, we have different autoimmune diseases, so it may be different for you. This is not an answer, but I hope I’m pointing you in the right direction to consult with your doctor who treats her autoimmune disease as well as your cardiologist. Those two MDs need to have a conversation about you. I hope this information helps. 🙏🌺🩷

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1 reply
sherrylou51b | @sherrylou51b | Jun 29 12:41pm
In reply to @sarastewart "Good morning from Sara, I don’t have Sjogren’s, but I do have a connective tissue disease,..." + (show)
@sarastewart

Good morning from Sara,

I don’t have Sjogren’s, but I do have a connective tissue disease, which is an autoimmune like what you have. You’ll need to ask your doctor, who treats your autoimmune some questions. What I learned about my autoimmune disease is that my heart tissue can become brittle at a certain point. Brittle meaning that the surgeon may not be able to sew it up properly. My heart tissue may not be sew-able. If this occurs, then I may not be a candidate for surgery. For me, my ejection fraction and another factor are being monitored closely along with the size of my ascending aortic aneurysms. So far so good at 4.0. But like I said, we have different autoimmune diseases, so it may be different for you. This is not an answer, but I hope I’m pointing you in the right direction to consult with your doctor who treats her autoimmune disease as well as your cardiologist. Those two MDs need to have a conversation about you. I hope this information helps. 🙏🌺🩷

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Thank you for your response. I have a follow up scans in September.
Cardiac surgeon says if even grows 2mm, will need surgery. I am going to
get a 2nd opinion at a better hospital, Seattle's UW. Kind of scary.

REPLY
sarastewart | @sarastewart | Jun 29 5:21pm

It is pretty scary for all of us. Praying for you and keep us posted!🌺

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