<Anchor> When



the aorta, the largest blood vessel in our body, expands like a balloon, it is called an aortic aneurysm.

In particular, if you have high blood pressure and smoke, you need to be more careful as it can burst suddenly without any symptoms.



This is Yoo Seung-hyeon, medical reporter.



<Reporter>



Jeong Byung-hak, in his 70s, had been treated for high blood pressure for 30 years and had a stent operation 8 years ago due to blockage of a heart vessel.



However, I couldn't quit smoking.



[Jung Byung-hak (73 years old)/aortic aneurysm patient: I have been smoking for almost 60 years.

A lot of it bloomed 20 years ago, four or five packs a day.] A



CT scan was performed, and an aortic aneurysm was found that was inflated like a balloon outside the aorta.



There were no symptoms, but it stretched more than 5cm and was on the verge of bursting.



[Jung Byung-hak (73 years old)/aortic aneurysm patient: There was nothing like that (symptom).

There is nothing inconvenient.]



Fortunately, the aneurysm was prevented from bursting with an artificial blood vessel insertion procedure, and then I quit smoking.



The number of patients with aortic aneurysms has more than doubled in the past decade.



If so, what is the risk of it happening?



As it is a degenerative disease, the risk increases with age, but men are three times more at risk than women.



If you have high blood pressure, your risk of developing it increases 1.5 times, even if you have diseases such as hyperlipidemia and arteriosclerosis.



The biggest risk factor is smoking, and if you smoke for more than 30 years, your risk increases 7 times that of a nonsmoker, and 12.5 times when you smoke a pack a day.



Most of the aortic aneurysms are asymptomatic, but depending on the area where they occur, you may feel abdominal pain or back pain, and your voice may stop when the vocal cord nerve is compressed.



[Song Seok-won / Professor of Thoracic Surgery, Gangnam Severance Hospital: Sudden stomach pain or chest pain.

This is because the aortic aneurysm is in the pre-rupture or ruptured state.

When it ruptures, there's no time.

It can be said that most of them are dead.]



If there are risk factors such as smoking and high blood pressure, it is better to check in advance.



(Video coverage: Kim Won-bae, video editing: Park Soo-seon, CG: Kang Kyung-rim)