Growth rates for "young middle aged"?

Posted by dph @dph, 6 days ago

Hi all,

I am 41 years old and just recently discovered I have mild dilation of ascending aorta to 4cm. I have had high-ish BP (mainly diastolic is hard to handle for me) for some time, caused by stress, and suffered a quite severe breakdown over the latter part of last year and first few months of this year. This led to sustained very high BP, frequently 170/100 for hours at a time, and probably higher when I was in fits of anger. From that time I started to have very strange pain in my chest and back, plus a feeling of something being stuck in my throat, which is why I went for a CTA, which found the dilation.

I'm aware that on paper 4cm is very low risk, but am concerned that, given symptoms which could be coming from pressure on the wall, the growth rate may be high. Since aortic dilation seems to be pretty rare at this age except with genetic factors (haven't been fully ruled out, but I have had innumerable tests for various other complaints, including autoimmune, which might have shown something of this ilk) I can't find much info on growth rates in younger adults. Is anyone aware of anything?

Thanks in advance for any help.

All the best with your own struggles!

p.s. The hardest thing for me is thinking I may not be able to play wrestle with my four year old at bed time. Currently this sort of exertion makes the pain quite a lot worse, so I'm limiting it.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Aortic Aneurysms Support Group.

moonboy | @moonboy | 5 days ago

I fully and suddenly dissected when I was 50. I am now 60. I survived it, but it was hell. The kinds of symptoms you’re describing are scary and I’m very glad that you are in the care of a good medical team. If you do not already have a thoracic surgeon with aortic expertise on deck, you need to get one this week. It is very important that you keep your blood pressure down, and very important that you recognize that you may have some lifestyle modifications that keep you on this earth. I know the pain of feeling like your life is changed because I had little kids when this happened to me. They were 3, 6 and 9. Nevertheless, you are no good to them if you’re not here, so you need to advocate for yourself at every turn and make sure that your thoracic surgeon has looked at your scans and given you their prognosis.

I’m not a doctor, but I am an aortic dissection Survivor. You are no good to your family if you’re not here, so you need to advocate for yourself at every turn and make sure that your thoracic surgeon has looked at your scans and given you their prognosis. I’ve got a Pretty good understanding of the mechanics of what happened to me. You do not want her to happen to you. You do not want to suddenly dissect. It is very difficult to survive and I promise you that a planned and scheduled surgery is a far better outcome for you and for your family.

So, reduce your stress, take your meds as directed, and get a consult with the thoracic surgeon. Again, I will tell you that the symptoms you’re describing were the ones that I had literally right before I dissected so it’s important that you communicate the seriousness of your situation to your Medical team. They need to know about the pain. They need to know about the pain on exertion. I was aware of my pain, but I hid it from my wife and my doctor because I was afraid that it was just angina and I did not want to upset them. That was a major mistake on my part.

Write to me directly or privately if you want to talk further off this list. I’m also happy to speak with you by telephone if you indicate that you want to. Peace.

dph | @dph | 5 days ago

Thank you so much for the reply, and for your advice! I've seen your comments on many other threads and your experience, though it must have been and may still be devastating, has helped many people!

I am unfortunately not yet under the care of a team. I am in the UK and referral to a cardiologist for my pain through the nhs had taken about eight months without invitation to a consultation, and so I decided to go private for the scan. The nhs still wants to look for other reasons for the pain, despite the fact that they have found this dilation. I am struggling to find a cardiologist with appropriate specialisation, but have booked (again privately) to see a general cardiologist to at least hopefully help me to get my BP controlled.

I hope you don't mind my asking, but do you recall whether there were any other patterns with your pain and discomfort beyond exertion being a trigger? Did they subside overnight, or were they there when you woke?

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