Get your health question answered instantly from our pool of 18000+ doctors from over 80 specialties
159 Doctors Online

By proceeding, I accept the Terms and Conditions

Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

HCM Blog Instant Access to Doctors
HCM BlogQuestions Answered
HCM Blog Satisfaction

How Can A Stomach Aneurysm Be Treated While Suffering From Alzheimer S Disease?

My mother has a stomach aneurysm that has grown. She is in her mid 80 s and is suffering from Alzheimer s, I was trying to find some information on this and what to look forward to on this type of condition. She s not having the surgery on this condition.
Mon, 28 Aug 2017
Report Abuse
  User's Response
Hi there,

I think the term you're referring to is an abdominal aortic aneurysm, which is a dilation of the aorta, which is the large blood vessel that comes off the heart and gives blood to all of the vessels in the abdomen.

Aneurysms do not cause symptoms, but the main risk is that they can rupture and this usually leads to death, as patients will bleed to death. The risk of rupture is increased and usually repair is recommended when the aneurysm reaches 5.0 cm in women and 5.5 cm in men. We also will usually recommend repair if the aneurysm is growing more than 0.5cm every 6 months.

If she's not going to have surgery, which is very reasonable in her situation, the only treatment is making sure her blood pressure is well controlled. If the aneurysm ruptures, just know that she'll likely pass away from this, which is ok if that is what she would want. It's impossible to predict when or even if it will rupture, but from many studies, we know that the risk increases significantly after the size reaches 5.0 cm in women.

I hope this answers your questions. Please feel free to contact me should you have any further questions.
I find this answer helpful
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.
Disclaimer: These answers are for your information only and not intended to replace your relationship with your treating physician.
This is a short, free answer. For a more detailed, immediate answer, try our premium service [Sample answer]
Share on
 

Related questions you may be interested in


Loading Online Doctors....
How Can A Stomach Aneurysm Be Treated While Suffering From Alzheimer S Disease?

Hi there, I think the term you re referring to is an abdominal aortic aneurysm, which is a dilation of the aorta, which is the large blood vessel that comes off the heart and gives blood to all of the vessels in the abdomen. Aneurysms do not cause symptoms, but the main risk is that they can rupture and this usually leads to death, as patients will bleed to death. The risk of rupture is increased and usually repair is recommended when the aneurysm reaches 5.0 cm in women and 5.5 cm in men. We also will usually recommend repair if the aneurysm is growing more than 0.5cm every 6 months. If she s not going to have surgery, which is very reasonable in her situation, the only treatment is making sure her blood pressure is well controlled. If the aneurysm ruptures, just know that she ll likely pass away from this, which is ok if that is what she would want. It s impossible to predict when or even if it will rupture, but from many studies, we know that the risk increases significantly after the size reaches 5.0 cm in women. I hope this answers your questions. Please feel free to contact me should you have any further questions.