What causes aortic dissection?

What causes aortic dissection?

Aortic dissection happens because there is an underlying, slow breakdown of the cells that make up the walls of your aorta. The breakdown has likely been going on silently for many years before the weakened area of the aortic wall finally gives way, resulting in a tear, which leads to the aortic dissection.

Why does the aortic wall weaken in some people and not others? It’s believed that most aortic dissections are caused by an underlying vulnerability that may be inherited. In others, the stress to the aortic wall from constant high blood pressure can weaken the aorta wall in susceptible people, resulting in a tear and dissection.

Aortic dissection in the ascending aorta (the section closest to the heart where the pressure is the highest) is nearly two times more common than those that occur in the descending aorta. Tears in the aorta typically occur in areas where the stress on the wall of the aorta is highest.