Aortic coarctation (patient information): Difference between revisions
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:*[[Polyarteritis]] | :*[[Polyarteritis]] | ||
:*[[Aortic valve stenosis]] | :*[[Aortic valve stenosis]] | ||
:*[Patent ductus arteriosus]] | |||
==Where to find medical care for aortic coarctation?== | ==Where to find medical care for aortic coarctation?== |
Revision as of 20:30, 10 November 2009
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What is aortic coarctation?
How do I know if I have aortic coarctation and what are the symptoms of aortic coarctation?
The signs and symptoms of coarctation of the aorta depend on how much blood can flow through the artery. Children with serious aortic narrowing tend to show signs and symptoms earlier in life, while mild cases may not be diagnosed until adulthood. Usual symptoms include:
- Pale skin
- Dizziness or fainting
- Shortness of breath
- Headache
- Chest pain
- Nosebleed
- Hypertension
- Muscle weakness
- Leg cramps or cold feet
- Poor growth
Other health problems may also cause these symptoms. Only a doctor can tell for sure. A person with any of these symptoms should tell the doctor so that the problems can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.
Who is at risk for aortic coarctation?
Like many congenital heart disease, the cause of aortic coarctation is not clear. Clinical studies suggest that the genetic and environmental factors both play an important role during the pregnancy.
- Genetic disorders such as Turner syndrome
- Pregnant woman had viral infection during pregnancy
How to know you have aortic coarctation?
- Echocardiography: Echocardiography is the most commonly used imaging technique for the diagnosis of aortic coarctation. It can assess atrium and ventricle morphology and characteristic anatomic relations, and detect the location and severity of the aortic coarctation and can show other heart defects, such as a bicuspid aortic valve.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG) and Holter monitoring: Electrocardiogram and Holter monitoring can tell electric activities of the heart for cardiovascular diseases. They can supply informations about heart rhythm and indirectly, heart size. Patients with aortic coarctation may show ventricular hypertrophy and heart rhythm irregularity sign.
- Chest x-ray: An x-ray image of chest allows the doctor to check the size and shape of the heart to determine whether the heart is enlarged. And it also helps the doctor check the condition of your lungs. Patients with aortic coarctation may show an enlarged heart or a narrowing in the aorta at the site of the coarctation.
- Cardiac MRI and CT: Cardiac MRI and CT can create pictures of the ventricles, atrium, valves and major blood vessels. It can help doctors analyse the structure and function of the heart and decide the treatment protocols for the patient. Patient with aortic coarctation may reveal the location of the coarctation of the aorta and determine whether it affects other blood vessels in the child's body.
- Cardiac catheterization: In a catheter room, the doctor threads a thin tube through a blood vessel in yourthe patient's arm or groin to an artery in the heart and injects dye to see the heart and the arteries on an x-ray. It can supply detailed information about the severity of the aortic coarctation.
When to seek urgent medical care?
Call your health care provider if your baby has aortic coarctation and symptoms do not improve with treatment, or if new symptoms appear. If your baby experiences either of the following symptoms, seeking urgent medical care as soon as possible:
- Sudden shortnesss of breath
- Severe chest pain
- Fainting
- Unexplained hypertension
Treatment options
Diseases with similar symptoms
- Polyarteritis
- Aortic valve stenosis
- [Patent ductus arteriosus]]
Where to find medical care for aortic coarctation?
Directions to Hospitals Treating aortic coarctation
Prevention of aortic coarctation
Although the cause is unknown, the following measures may be helpful to decrease the risk of having a baby with aortic coarctation.
- Screening test and regular check for people with genetic disorders
- Pregnant woman need to avoiding viral infection during pregnancy.
What to expect (Outook/Prognosis)?
Copyleft Sources
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000191.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/coarctation-of-the-aorta/DS00616/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print