Guide to Heart Disease

An aneurysm is a localized dilation, or bulging, in an artery. Aneurysms can occur anywhere, but they are most common and most troublesome when they are in a cerebral artery or in the aorta. Atherosclerosis and high blood pressure may both cause a portion of the muscular layer of the artery wall to degenerate, allowing the lining to balloon out at the point of weakness. Other causes of aneurysm are congenital weakness in the artery wall and, rarely, arterial inflammation.
An aneurysm can create problems if a blood clot develops inside it, if it bursts, causing internal bleeding, or if it presses on neighboring organs, nerves or blood vessels. An aneurysm of the aorta is likely to cause turbulence in the flow of blood, which can, in turn, result in the formation of a clot. A piece of this blood clot may break away and lodge in any organ, interrupting its blood supply and causing damage to that organ. If the aneurysm is near the origin of the aorta, it may distort the aortic valve, thus making it incompetent — which means it does not close properly. The best way to prevent an aneurysm is to guard against atherosclerosis and to keep your blood pressure under control. If, however, you develop a sensation of pressure or an inexplicable lump anywhere on the body, but especially on the abdomen, and particularly if it throbs, see your doctor as soon as possible as this could indicate an aneurysm. You will probably have a simple X-ray and an ultrasound scan. Then, if necessary, the doctor will arrange for a special X-ray called an arteriograph to be taken, to help identify the exact location and extent of the problem.
If an aneurysm has already occurred, it cannot be reversed but it can sometimes be prevented from getting any bigger by a reduction in blood pressure. It can also sometimes be surgically removed, and an artificial graft inserted.

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