Enlargement of the Aortic Root

[Wiliam-McCurdy]

  I am a 41 year old whit male who has recently been diagnosed with enlarged
   aortic root. I believe the measurement was 48 millimeters. Apparently this
  is about 25% larger that what is to be expected in a man of my age. I have
  always been active in soccer and work out twice a week. I am 6'1" and
  weigh 2oolbs. I have been a heavby drinker (non-smoker) for many years and my blood
  pressure has probably been high normal for some time (135/90). I have
  stopped drinking and started exercising more and my blood pressure has dropped
  to a reasonable 120/80. My questions are:
  1. Can heavy exercise - 90 minutes of soccer - cause enlargement of an already weakened aortic root?
  2. Can change in lifestyle - no drinking, exercise etc. - engender a regression of the root?
  3. Or, as a corallary to 2, will this get worse with age?
  Thank You Very Much

[CCF CARDIO MD APS]

Dear William,
Anything that results in a sustained high blood pressure can cause pathology(enlargement) of an already weakened aortic root.  It would of course be unusual for that to happen in the setting of a normal aortic valve and a non-weakened aortic root.  
If you have pathology of your aortic root and or aorta, they are likely to get worse over years, especially if the pathology of the aortic root is a weakened wall, or if the aortic valve has been abnormal since birth.
With such mild dilation, you probably have been told that it will just be followed at this point.
It is very difficult to answer your questions not knowing the status of your aortic valve, your left ventricle etc. So please make an appointment with your/a cardiologist to discuss these issues including the very questions you have asked me.  There may not be a direct answer in regards to what may help and will this get any worse, however at least there should be a plan that includes some further investigation, follow-up, as well as counseling (e.g.daily exercise is very important to your overall health.)
I hope this information is useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for
general purposes only.  Only your physician can provided specific diagnoses and therapies.
Feel free to write back with further questions. Good luck!
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please
call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at
www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the
cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your
cardiac problem.
  William McCurdy