Vascular Diseases—Aneurysms

An aneurysm is a bulge or “ballooning” in the wall of an artery. Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to other parts of the body. If an aneurysm grows large, it can burst and cause dangerous bleeding or even death.

Most aneurysms occur in the aorta, the main artery that runs from the heart through the chest and abdomen. Aneurysms also can happen in arteries in the brain, heart and other parts of the body. If an aneurysm in the brain bursts, it causes a stroke.

Aneurysms can develop and become large before causing any symptoms. Often doctors can stop aneurysms from bursting if they find and treat them early. They use imaging tests to find aneurysms. Often aneurysms are found by chance during tests done for other reasons. Medicines and surgery are the two main treatments for aneurysms.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

• Aneurysm (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Magnetic resonance angiography (Medical Encyclopedia)

The vascular system is the body’s network of blood vessels. It includes the arteries, veins and capillaries that carry blood to and from the heart. Problems of the vascular system are common and can be serious. Arteries can become thick and stiff, a problem called atherosclerosis. Blood clots can clog vessels and block blood flow to the heart or brain. Weakened blood vessels can burst, causing bleeding inside the body.

You are more likely to have vascular disease as you get older. Other factors that make vascular disease more likely include

• Family history of vascular or heart diseases
• Pregnancy
• Illness or injury
• Long periods of sitting or standing still
• Any condition that affects the heart and blood vessels, such as diabetes or high cholesterol
• Smoking
• Obesity

Losing weight, eating healthy foods, being active and not smoking can help vascular disease. Other treatments include medicines and surgery.

• Aortic arch syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Arterial embolism (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Arteriogram (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Cerebral angiography (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Duplex ultrasound (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Venous insufficiency (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Venous ulcers — self-care (Medical Encyclopedia)