Health

HealthWatch: Aneurysms Can Attack Chest, Abdomen

NEW YORK (CBS) ― When people hear the term "aneurysm," the brain is often the first thing that comes to mind.

But dangerous aneurysms can also happen in the chest and abdomen. Although rare, one New York family fought a battle with the illness twice within days.

"I was so glad we were with him," Kimberly Trezza says of her father Nory Rosenhaus.

"I was lucky enough to see him for at least five minutes while he was still awake," Nory's son Hunter Rosenhaus said.

Hunter and sister Kimberly were with their father as he fought an unsuccessful battle against a ruptured aortic aneurysm.

"They did everything they could," Hunter said. "I mean, they said he fought and fought."

Sadly, Nory passed away – but then just days later, the unthinkable happened.

"They said, 'Well, you have an aneurysm in your aorta,'" Hunter said. "I'm like, 'Excuse me? I have back pain.'"

Just like his father, Hunter had an aortic aneurysm that, for someone his age, is incredibly rare.

"In patients who are over 65 years old, there is a 1 to 2 percent incidence of the aortic aneurysm in the population," vascular surgeon Dr. Vicken Pamoukian said. "However, in patients who are under the age of 45, the number is 1 in 20,000."

An aortic aneurysm is a ballooning of the main blood vessel that takes blood to all the organs. That makes the wall of the vessel weak.

"So if you were playing with a balloon as a child, the more air you put in it, the wall becomes thinner and thinner and eventually it will burst," Pamoukian said.

If that happened, death would be only a matter of minutes.

"Once it does burst, the risk of death is almost 80 to 90 percent prior to getting to the hospital," Pamoukian said.

Most aortic aneurysms don't cause symptoms and go undiagnosed. Sometimes doctors find them during tests done for other reasons.

If the aneurysm is about to burst, patients feel severe back or abdominal pain that should not be ignored.

Pamoukian took Hunter Rosenhaus to the operating room before his aneurysm burst. He had a stenting procedure done to prevent that from ever happening.

"He has his normal life back," Pamoukian said.

"They go, 'No, you'll be able to jump out of planes, whatever you want to do,'" Hunter said.

Aortic aneurysms often happen for no reason, but medical problems like high blood pressure and high cholesterol may contribute to the risk.

Eating a heart-healthy diet, not smoking, and getting regular exercise are the best bets for prevention.

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