Latest / From Recovery to Wellness | Life After Heart Surgery, Aneurysm Repair & Cardiac Healing / What Actually Causes an Aortic Aneurysm to Grow and What Factors Slow It Down?

Transcript

What Actually Causes an Aortic Aneurysm to Grow and What Factors Slow It Down? · From Recovery to Wellness | Life After Heart Surgery, Aneurysm Repair & Cardiac Healing

• 0:09
  Hello, and welcome back to From Recovery to Wellness.
• 0:13
  I'm Arnita, your host, and I'm so glad you're
• 0:16
  here. Today, we're kicking off season four, our
• 0:19
  final season of 2026. As we close out the year
• 0:24
  together, I wanted to focus on something especially
• 0:27
  meaningful, your questions. This season was inspired
• 0:30
  by the conversations, concerns, and questions
• 0:35
  shared by members of our aortic aneurysm, open
• 0:38
  heart surgery, and cardiovascular disease communities.
• 0:43
  Over the next 14 weeks, we'll explore some of
• 0:46
  the most common questions survivors, caregivers,
• 0:50
  patients, and family members ask after an aneurysm
• 0:55
  diagnosis. Open heart surgery. or a cardiac event.
• 1:00
  Together we'll take a closer look at what current
• 1:03
  research, clinical guidelines, and medical experts
• 1:07
  have to say about these important topics. We'll
• 1:12
  discuss questions about recovery timelines, inflammation,
• 1:16
  exercise, medications, imaging, blood pressure,
• 1:23
  emotional recovery, long -term wellness, and
• 1:27
  many of the concerns that don't always get fully
• 1:30
  answered during a medical appointment. My goal
• 1:34
  is simple, to help remove some of the mystery,
• 1:38
  to reduce uncertainty, and to provide practical
• 1:43
  educational information that helps you become
• 1:46
  a more informed and competent participant in
• 1:49
  your own health journey. As someone who has personally
• 1:53
  undergone major cardiovascular surgery and recovery,
• 1:57
  I understand how overwhelming heart -related
• 2:00
  health concerns can feel. I've asked many of
• 2:03
  these same questions myself, and I know how reassuring
• 2:08
  it can be to better understand what's happening
• 2:11
  inside your body and what steps you can take
• 2:14
  moving forward. Before we begin though, I want
• 2:19
  to offer an important reminder. The information
• 2:22
  shared in this podcast is intended for educational
• 2:26
  purposes only and should never replace the advice
• 2:29
  of your physician, surgeon, cardiologist, or
• 2:33
  healthcare team. Every person and every recovery
• 2:37
  journey is unique. So always consult your healthcare
• 2:42
  providers regarding your individual medical care.
• 2:47
  With that said, let's dive into our first community
• 2:51
  questions. One of the questions that was asked
• 2:55
  is, what actually causes an aortic aneurysm to
• 3:00
  grow? If you've ever been diagnosed with an aneurysm
• 3:05
  on your aorta, and if you're living with one
• 3:08
  right now, there is a good chance you've asked
• 3:11
  this question yourself. After all, Once you hear
• 3:15
  the words aortic aneurysm, one of the first thoughts
• 3:19
  that often follows is, will it get bigger? And
• 3:23
  if it does, how fast? The truth is that aortic
• 3:29
  aneurysm growth is usually a gradual process,
• 3:32
  but there isn't one single cause. Instead, several
• 3:38
  factors can continue growth over time. So let's
• 3:42
  start with blood pressure. Blood pressure is
• 3:45
  one of the strongest influences on aortic aneurysm
• 3:49
  progression. Think of your aorta as a body's
• 3:53
  main highway for blood flow. Every heartbeat
• 3:57
  creates pressure against the walls of that vessel.
• 4:02
  When blood pressure remains elevated over long
• 4:04
  periods, that pressure places additional stress
• 4:10
  on an already weakened section of the artery.
• 4:15
  This is one reason physicians emphasize blood
• 4:18
  pressure management so strongly. It's not simply
• 4:22
  about the numbers. It's about reducing stress
• 4:25
  on the vessel wall itself. Another factor is
• 4:30
  inflammation. Research suggests that chronic
• 4:34
  inflammation may contribute to changes in the
• 4:37
  structure of the aortic wall. So over time, these
• 4:42
  changes can weaken the tissue in the aortic wall
• 4:46
  and affect its ability to withstand pressure.
• 4:52
  Smoking is also a major risk factor. Even former
• 4:57
  smokers may carry an increased risk because smoking
• 5:01
  can damage blood vessels and accelerate vascular
• 5:05
  disease. Genetics can play a role as well. Some
• 5:12
  individuals inherit connective tissue disorders
• 5:15
  or genetic variations that affect the strength
• 5:18
  and elasticity of blood vessels. For these individuals,
• 5:25
  aortic aneurysm growth may be influenced by factors
• 5:28
  that are largely outside their control. Now here's
• 5:33
  something important though to understand. Not
• 5:36
  every aortic aneurysm grows at the same rate.
• 5:41
  Some remain stable for years. Others enlarge
• 5:44
  more quickly. And unfortunately, doctors cannot
• 5:48
  always predict exactly what will happen in a
• 5:52
  particular individual. That's why regular imaging
• 5:57
  is so important. CT scans, MRIs and electrocardiograms
• 6:04
  help physicians monitor changes over time. They
• 6:08
  allow your healthcare team to look for patterns
• 6:11
  and determine whether intervention may eventually
• 6:14
  be needed. Many people ask whether lifestyle
• 6:19
  changes can shrink an aortic aneurysm. Current
• 6:23
  evidence tells us that lifestyle changes do not
• 6:26
  reverse an aortic aneurysm once it exists. However,
• 6:32
  healthy habits can absolutely help reduce overall
• 6:36
  cardiovascular stress and may support slower
• 6:39
  progression. And that includes maintaining healthy
• 6:44
  blood pressure, taking medications as prescribed,
• 6:49
  avoiding tobacco, staying physically active within
• 6:54
  your physician's recommendations, and following
• 6:57
  a heart -healthy eating pattern. So what's the
• 7:02
  bottom line? Aortic aneurysm growth is influenced
• 7:06
  by multiple factors, including blood pressure,
• 7:10
  inflammation, smoking history, genetics, and
• 7:15
  overall vascular health. While growth can often
• 7:19
  be slow, it isn't always predictable, which is
• 7:24
  why monitoring, prevention, partnership with
• 7:28
  your health care team remains so important and
• 7:32
  perhaps most importantly an aortic aneurysm diagnosis
• 7:36
  does not mean you are powerless. There are meaningful
• 7:40
  steps you can take to support your cardiovascular
• 7:43
  health moving forward. Now did you know that
• 7:50
  many aortic aneurysms are discovered completely
• 7:53
  by accident? although I had symptoms for a couple
• 7:56
  of months prior to my life -threatening event
• 7:59
  and diagnosis, and I even had a misdiagnosis
• 8:02
  prior to my event. They're often found during
• 8:07
  imaging tests, though, ordered for unrelated
• 8:10
  reasons. That's why regular follow -up imaging
• 8:13
  is so important after diagnosis. It helps your
• 8:17
  health care team monitor changes over time and
• 8:20
  make informed treatment decisions. Now, I'm gonna
• 8:27
  move on and suggest some heart -healthy foods.
• 8:35
  And I generally do one per episode. And our weekly
• 8:40
  food focus for this episode is purslane. It's
• 8:45
  a nutritious. wild leafy green succulent that
• 8:49
  is rarely mentioned in modern diets, despite
• 8:52
  its exceptional health profile. Actually, it's
• 8:56
  something I've never heard of. I had to look
• 8:58
  it up, see what it looked like, and it just looks
• 9:00
  like a little old green weed. But I just want
• 9:04
  to, before I go into the nutritional value and
• 9:08
  the benefits, I just want to add this note. and
• 9:12
  this disclaimer that this is only for educational
• 9:15
  purposes. Check with your doctor and nutritionist
• 9:19
  prior to adding purslane to your meals. The information
• 9:23
  on purslane in this podcast episode was written
• 9:26
  by Stephanie Booth and medically reviewed by
• 9:30
  Christine Mike -Stuss. She is a registered dietician.
• 9:35
  RD and LD and it was posted on WebMD on March
• 9:41
  6, 2026. In fact, that's my birthday, March 6.
• 9:45
  So it must have been meant to be. But yes, you
• 9:49
  can reference it on WebMD and look up this rare
• 9:54
  food and the nutritional value. that is within
• 9:58
  this, within purslane. It packs an impressive
• 10:01
  amount of nutrients in every single leaf. There
• 10:05
  are omega -3 fatty acids. They contain more alpha
• 10:10
  -len -o -lenic, sorry for the mispronunciation.
• 10:17
  However, it is ALA, a healthy fat, than most,
• 10:22
  almost any other garden vegetable. There's vitamins.
• 10:26
  It provides high levels of vitamin A for vision,
• 10:29
  vitamin C for healing, and vitamin E, which is
• 10:32
  an antioxidant. It has minerals and is rich in
• 10:37
  magnesium, calcium, potassium, and iron. The
• 10:42
  antioxidants also contain powerful plant compounds
• 10:46
  as well. Now the benefits to the human body,
• 10:50
  it protects the heart, it supports eye health,
• 10:54
  It strengthens the bones and fights inflammation.
• 11:00
  Now we'll go on to a question for you to ponder.
• 11:05
  This is something for you to think about and
• 11:10
  assess and do your own self -assessment. So our
• 11:14
  question to reflect on this week. Ask yourself,
• 11:18
  based on what I've learned about my aortic aneurysm
• 11:22
  diagnosis, What is one action I can take to better
• 11:27
  support my cardiovascular health while living
• 11:30
  with uncertainty? Remember, recovery and wellness
• 11:35
  are built one step at a time. And the key takeaways
• 11:41
  here, before we go, let's review them. Blood
• 11:47
  pressure is one of the most important factors
• 11:49
  affecting aneurysm growth, genetics, inflammation,
• 11:55
  smoking history, and vascular health may all
• 11:58
  influence progression. Not all aneurysms grow
• 12:02
  at the same rate. Regular imaging plays a critical
• 12:07
  role in monitoring changes over time. And while
• 12:12
  lifestyle changes cannot reverse an aneurysm,
• 12:15
  they can support overall cardiovascular health.
• 12:19
  Now, if you'd like additional support on today's
• 12:24
  topic, I've created a resource that may help.
• 12:28
  You can find more information in the show notes,
• 12:31
  and as always, use the tools and resources that
• 12:34
  best support your recovery journey. Now, for
• 12:38
  our next episode next week, we'll answer another
• 12:43
  community question. And that question is, how
• 12:46
  long does inflammation last after open heart
• 12:49
  surgery and what's considered normal? I hope
• 12:53
  you'll join me. So I just want to thank you for
• 12:58
  joining me for this new season from recovery
• 13:00
  to wellness. I am blessed to be a part of your
• 13:05
  wellness journey and I hope today's episode has
• 13:08
  provided information, encouragement and practical
• 13:12
  steps. you can use to support your heart health.
• 13:15
  So until next time, take care of your heart,
• 13:19
  take care of yourself, and remember, be well.