Why Your Smoking Habit Could Lead to Hidden and Potentially Serious Complications
Do you wish that you could finally kick the tobacco habit after many years of trying? You may be aware that it has caused you to suffer from high blood pressure already and may be at the root of other illness or disease. Yet when you smoke and have blood pressure issues, did you know that you may be at risk of developing a very serious condition known as an aortic aneurysm? What is this and what action should you take?
Understanding Aortic Aneurysms
An aortic aneurysm occurs when the wall of the aorta weakens and allows it to swell outwards. This type of bulge can take place anywhere along the aorta, which is a lengthy vessel carrying blood from the heart to the rest of the body. Sometimes, the issue will appear in the abdomen, where the aorta passes through and this type of aneurysm usually tends to grow rather slowly without any signs or symptoms.
Specific Symptoms
However, you may begin to notice a constant pain deep in the abdomen, or even a pulsating feeling close to the navel. Occasionally, this issue will manifest itself in back pain and if the aneurysm was to rupture you may notice a significant increase in pain accompanied by nausea, vomiting or dizziness.
Higher Risk
Doctors believe that this type of disease is caused by a combination of risk factors and age and unsurprisingly, tobacco use is on top of that list. Occasionally, this may be hereditary, so you should be especially careful if a close family member has ever suffered in this way, but you should take steps to decrease your risk as much as possible. Also, try to avoid a sedentary lifestyle if you can as blood clots can build up within the system and subsequently transfer to develop into an aortic aneurysm.
Steps You Must Take
If you suspect that you are developing issues here, then you may need to talk with a vascular surgeon about emergency surgery. This can sometimes help to avoid a more significant rupture, but you have to weigh up all the risks versus the benefits to start off with.
At the very least, you should redouble your efforts to quit smoking and make sure that you engage an exercise regimen for additional insurance. If you suffer from high blood pressure you may need to modify your diet or talk with your family doctor about some specific medication.
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