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Should I Be Concerned For Aorta Widening?
My mom is 80 yrs old. She had an echo stress test today and was told her aorta is widening. Is this cause for alarm? The dr. Told her to exercise. After talking with an ICU nurse tonight at church it sounds like it may be because of her age he didn t want to alarm her. What are your thoughts?
Thu, 25 Sep 2014
Hi,
Thank you for your query. I can understand your concerns.
There is a decrease in the elasticity of the aorta and its main branches, accompanied by an increase in the diameter and length in old age.The proximal aorta has been shown to thicken, enlarge in diameter, and lengthen with aging in humans.
Age-related unfolding of the aortic arch is related to increased proximal aortic stiffness in individuals without cardiovascular disease .
With aging the length of aorta increases by approximately 12% per decade, whereas the diameter increases by just 3% per decade.This elongation causes the descending aorta to appear as a vertical shadow on the left heart border,on chest X-ray .
Aortic unfolding/widening, though not serious, should be differentiated from the more severe dissection of the aorta,which becomes obviously detected in 2D-Echocardiography,which your mom has already undergone and hence excluded.
Regards
Dr. T.K. Biswas M.D.
Mumbai
Thank you for your query. I can understand your concerns.
There is a decrease in the elasticity of the aorta and its main branches, accompanied by an increase in the diameter and length in old age.The proximal aorta has been shown to thicken, enlarge in diameter, and lengthen with aging in humans.
Age-related unfolding of the aortic arch is related to increased proximal aortic stiffness in individuals without cardiovascular disease .
With aging the length of aorta increases by approximately 12% per decade, whereas the diameter increases by just 3% per decade.This elongation causes the descending aorta to appear as a vertical shadow on the left heart border,on chest X-ray .
Aortic unfolding/widening, though not serious, should be differentiated from the more severe dissection of the aorta,which becomes obviously detected in 2D-Echocardiography,which your mom has already undergone and hence excluded.
Regards
Dr. T.K. Biswas M.D.
Mumbai
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Hello, welcome to health care magic.
Aortic dilatation is a normal finding in old poeple so there is nothing to worry about.
Aortic dilatation is a normal finding in old poeple so there is nothing to worry about.
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