Aortic Root dilation

[Tessa48]

Are there any specific symptoms associated with this disease?  I was diagnosed 2 years ago and have not had the condition rechecked since that time.  (I no longer have health insurance).  2 weeks ago my blood pressure was 142/100 and I am concerned that the condition might be getting worse.

[skydnsr]

I agree with the comments of kenkeith, above.  Also, I would add that high blood pressure can promote enlargement of the aneurysm, and then as the aneurysm enlarges, it in turn makes your blood pressure get worse.  There is a vicious cycle with blood pressure and aortic root aortic aneurysms.  Each one makes the other one progress and get worse.

The way this happens is that when the aortic root enlarges, it tends to pull the leaves of the aortic valve apart, so you get some backflow of blood running back into the heart and going the wrong direction.  The body tries to compensate for this by increasing your blood pressure and squeezing as hard as it can to push that blood out.  Then the higher blood pressure puts, well, pressure on the walls of the aorta, and the aneurysm enlarges as a result of the pressure.  And so forth and so on.

It is important to control blood pressure to try to slow down the enlargement of the aneurysm, as well as for all the other reasons that it is important to control blood pressure.  Beta blockers, which were mentioned by kenkeith, represent one class of medication that is used to control blood pressure.  Beta blockers also have other effects on the heart that may be helpful in a situation like this.  

There are many other classes of antihypertensive medications, in addition to beta blockers.  Lately, ARBs (another class of antihypertensive medication) and Losartan in particular have gotten some attention for actually reducing the size of aortic aneurysms in some people.  I don't think everyone who takes an ARB experiences a reduction in the size of their aneurysm, but if you are one of the ones who does, it is great.

I know that all of this is a lot of technical information to absorb.  The main point is that it is very important to control blood pressure when you have an aortic aneurysm.  A lot of blood pressure medications are cheap.  If you can hold down your blood pressure, you might be able to slow down the progression of the aneurysm until you can get health insurance and get more comprehensive treatment.  

On the other hand, if your blood pressure continues to get worse despite treatment with antihypertensive medication, it can be a sign that the aneurysm is getting too big for medication alone to control your blood pressure.  At that point, the only thing that can be done to help you is for an expert surgeon to repair the aneurysm.  You may or may not still need antihypertensive medication, after the surgery.

I know that your original post was almost a year ago, so I hope you are still subscribed to this thread.  If not, maybe someone else will read it and be helped.  

Good luck, tessa48!

[kenkeith]

Most people with aortic aneurysms,  do not have symptoms. But symptoms may begin to occur if the aneurysm gets bigger and puts pressure on surrounding organs.

Aortic aneurysms that are causing symptoms or enlarging rapidly are considered at risk of rupturing. Surgery is usually recommended if either of these factors is present.
Medical treatment for aortic aneurysm.  Smaller aneurysms (less than 5.5 cm in diameter) that are not at high risk for rupturing are generally treated with medicine used to treat high blood pressure, such as a beta-blocker.

Beta-blockers may decrease the rate at which aneurysms grow. In general, the risks of surgery to repair smaller aneurysms outweigh the possible benefits, because smaller aneurysms rarely rupture.

Generally, an aorta aneurysms starts at  4.0 cm,  and if there is progression it grows at about 0.5 cm from 6 to 12 months