Why does the aorta get torn?

Answer 1

Usually the aorta doesn't rupture without prior weakening. Either the artery has a weak wall to start with (due to genetic defects in connective tissue and the like) or it has a normal wall but acquired factors such as cholesterol deposition may weaken them. Once the wall is weak, the artery dilates into what is known as an aneurysm, which then ruptures under high blood pressure or slight physical trauma such as a punch to the chest or the abdomen.

Answer 2

While still being understood, there are various risk factors linked to aortic dissection, including

• high blood pressure
• connective tissue disorders, such as Marfan's syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and Turner's syndrome
• cystic medial disease (a degenerative disease of the aortic wall)
• aortitis (inflammation of the aorta)
• atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)
• existing aortic aneurysm
• bicuspid aortic valve: presence of only two cusps, or leaflets, in the aortic valve, rather than the normal three cusps
• trauma
• coarctation (narrowing) of the aorta
• polycystic kidney disease (a genetic disorder characterized by the growth of numerous cysts filled with fluid in the kidneys)

Answer 3

If you think about what and where the aorta is, the answer should be, to borrow a phrase, self-evident. It is the largest artery in the body, stemming directly from the heart. Just what would be a problem with damage to that?

Answer 4

A ruptured aortic aneurysm can cause sudden loss of a fatal amount of blood within minutes or it can leak in a series of small bleeds that lead within hours or days to massive bleeding.