September - A Month for the Aorta!
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| Today BJ Sanders Lives her Best Life Story through Proactive Life-Long Care |
Although those who have bicuspid aortic valves and their family members have a great deal of interest in the heart, whose month is February, we have learned that the aorta is vitally important also. We need them both to receive care to live our best life story! We also know that still today, Thoracic Aortic Disease (TAD) is too often overshadowed by the heart or just ignored altogether.
This September, BAF remains convinced that the aorta is more than worthy of it's own month, distanced from February and "Heart Month" to avoid confusion. At BAF we are delighted by the various days and weeks also designated this September that focus on the aorta! The aorta needs all the global attention it can get!
This year BAF particularly highlights living your best life story through proactive Life-Long Aortic Care.
Life-Long Care and the Aorta
BJ Sanders is among those with BAV/TAD who receive Life-Long monitoring and care, including follow up imaging for both her heart and aorta. Described by one cardiologist at a major center as "complicated", she knows the importance of being proactive in order to achieve her best life story.
The Aorta is Not the Heart!
First of all, let's get better acquainted with a vital part of us that we may not have heard much about - our aorta! What is it, and how do various diseases affect it?
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| Diseased aorta in the chest |
While there are some articles that describe the aorta and aortic dissection in the press, the aorta and the heart are sometimes blurred, potentially confusing the reader. Much more concerning and dangerous to life itself is confusing the heart and the aorta in a medical setting, often an Emergency Room(ER).
When doctors say our pain is not from the heart, we can ask them to check the aorta. In the United States, CT imaging is widely available and will find aortic aneurysm/dissection.
Very often there is no second chance to prevent an aortic catastrophe.
At BAF, this September we do not forget Doug Grieshop and his family. This September19th would have been Doug's 50th birthday.
It remains particularly hurtful that, having checked him for signs of "heart disease" and failing to look further (at his aorta) for a reason for his chest pain, this strong young man was given anxiety medication, which he took faithfully including the day his aorta ruptured. It was an autopsy that told the truth about his aorta, previously scarred by a small tear and now fully ruptured, his life story had ended much too soon. The diseased aorta remains among the subset of vascular diseases most frequently contributing to serious injury and death.
The Aorta is Not a Tube!
The authors of this recent paper from Italy begin by introducing the aorta:
Pathology of the Aorta and Aorta as Homograft
They open with "The aorta is not a rigid tube, it is an 'organ'....", and go on to beautifully describe it.
The aorta is not "just" a tube, any more than the heart is "just" a pump. The aorta is a vital entity in its own right, and prone to various disease conditions, as these authors describe.
We continue to press for the aorta to be included in proactive diagnosis and ongoing care for all those who need it so much. In a series of articles throughout September, we will share examples of those who would benefit from and need Life-Long Aortic Care. Sharing information is an avenue to empowering the public to advocate for their own best care.
TAD is often silent, taking years to suddenly explode into a bleeding emergency in the chest. Our theme is simple this September:
Receiving Life-Long Aortic Care
we can
Live our best life stories,
Creating a Climate of Hope,
~ Arlys Velebir, Bicuspid Aortic Foundation
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