It's Think It Through Thursday and Aortic Disease Awareness Month!

Today is Think It Through Thursday with Aortic Hope.

To better understand Aortic Disease, one has to understand the Aorta.

This month we will be helping to offer awareness, inspire and educate you and your loved ones about many aspects of Aortic Disease, that is why we designated the entire month to it!

AORTA 101

Please use this link to learn more about your Aorta ❤

❤️ The aorta is the main artery that carries blood away from your heart to the rest of your body. After the blood leaves the heart through the aortic valve, it travels through the aorta, making a cane-shaped curve that connects with other major arteries to deliver oxygen-rich blood to the brain, muscles, and other cells.

The aorta is more than an inch wide in some places and has three layers:

- The inner layer (or intima)

- The middle layer (or media)

- The outer layer (or adventitia)

❤️ When a problem occurs with the aorta, the heart and the entire body’s blood supply can be jeopardized.

When affected by a disease, the aorta can split (dissection) or dilate (aneurysm) and in either case, the rupture may have fatal results.

❤️ Three types of aortic aneurysms can be classified as:

- Abdominal aortic aneurysms

- Thoracic aneurysms

- Thoracic abdominal aneurysms

(*we will be discussing each of these types of aneurysms, dissections, and conditions throughout the month)

A variety of diseases and conditions can cause damage to the aorta and put patients at great, life-threatening risk. Those conditions include:

- Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).

- Hypertension (high blood pressure).

- Genetic conditions (such as Marfan Syndrome).

- Connective tissue disorders (such as Ehler-Danlos disorder, Loeys- Dietz Syndrome , polychondritis, scleroderma, osteogenesis imperfecta, polycystic kidney disease and Turners Syndrome).

- Injury.