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Thursday, October 06, 2005
Aneurysms
By Henrylito D. Tacio
Health 101
EXPERTS have likened aneurysms to time bombs for good reason: You can be without symptoms until the faulty blood vessel bursts. "The bulge usually occurs in a weak area of the artery's wall," explains the Merck manual. "The pressure of blood inside the artery forces the weak area to balloon outward."
Aneurysms can develop anywhere along the aorta. Three fourths of aortic aneurysms develop in the part that passes through the abdomen (abdominal aortic aneurysm), and the rest develop in the part that passes through the chest) thoracic aortic aneurysm).
Aneurysms can also develop in the arteries at the back of the knee, the main arteries of the thighs, the arteries supplying the head, the arteries supplying the brain (cerebral aneurysm), and the arteries supplying the heart muscle.
"People with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and smokers are the most likely to suffer," says Dr. Alfred Cheng, head of the cardiac clinic at the Mount Elizabeth Medical Center in Singapore. "Those with close relatives who have had aneurysms and diabetics are also at risk."
"Whenever we eat fatty foods like pork, beef, eggs, and dairy products, among others, the cholesterol level in our blood goes up, making our blood thicker and prone to blood clot formation. As it circulates all over our body, this thick blood is painted on the inner wall of the arteries and adheres to the wall, and as weeks and months go by, this thick blood becomes clots, which ultimately mature into hardened plaques that are calcified and hard as bone. These plaques grow larger and ultimately fill-up and obstruct the caliber of the artery, much like the junk blocking our sewer pipes in the kitchen sink over a period of time."
Aside from arteriosclerosis, other causes of aneurysms include injuries, inflammatory diseases of aorta, hereditary connective-tissue disorders, and some infectious diseases such as syphilis.
For feedback or comments, write me at tasyo2002@yahoo.com
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (October 6, 2005 issue)
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