linked to aortic rupture
Intense physical exertion or an extreme emotion, like shoveling snow or anxiety
over big gambling losses, can cause a rupture in the main artery leading
to and from the heart, according to a Yale School of Medicine study in the
American Journal of Cardiology. — By Jacqueline Weaver
T H I S
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE NEWS
This damage to the inner wall of the aorta is known as an aortic dissection
(ADD), in which a tear in the wall of the blood vessel creates two channels.
The blood continues to travel in one channel but is stagnant in the other,
causing the rupture to balloon and push on other branches of the aorta, constricting
their blood flow. The condition can be fatal.
An increase in blood pressure can lead to a dissection, but the events that
might precipitate the underlying hypertension are not well understood, notes
the senior author of the study, Dr. John Elefteriades, section chief of cardiothoracic
surgery.
To answer this question, Elefteriades and his co-authors interviewed 90 patients
who had an aortic dissection and asked what happened right before the rupture
occurred. Sixty-seven percent identified either severe exertion or severe emotion
as a trigger for their ADD.
More specifically, 24 patients said they were involved in activities such as
lifting weights or other heavy objects, shoveling snow, changing storm windows,
playing racquet ball, doing push ups, or engaging in vigorous sex. Thirty-six
patients said they had just experienced a severe emotional blow — including
receiving upsetting news such as a diagnosis of lung cancer, experiencing big
losses at the casino, and taking a stressful business trip.
“The aorta degenerates over time and becomes more dilated, which increases
stress on the aortic wall,” Elefteriades says. “Severe physical or
emotional stress increases blood pressure to the point where the tensile limit
of the aortic tissue is overwhelmed, causing the rupture.”
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