Monday, November 12, 2007
Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is an abnormal expansion in the abdominal portion of the aorta, the largest artery in the body. It develops when the aortic wall weakens and eventually starts to bulge. AAA develops slowly and most often does not cause symptoms. If the aneurysm gets too big, then it ...
Joy,
There is a lot of helpful information in this post. For other readers here is a picture of an Abdomial aortic aneurysm.
http://health-pictures.com/conditions1/abdominal-aneurism-aortic-picture.htmA failing aortic valve may cause a variety of symptoms including shortness of breath, chest pain, and dizziness or loss of consciousness. A narrow valve makes the heart work harder just to pump the blood through the valve to the body. A leaky valve lets blood back into the heart after it has been pumped out. The heart must therefore pump more blood forward to make up for the blood that is leaking backwards. Either way the extra work may cause symptoms of heart failure, such as shortness of breath. Early on the shortness of breath may be noticeable only with exercise. Later, with the progression of valve disease, a patient could experience shortness of breath with even light activity or at rest.