title: Ascending aortic dissection in weight lifters with cystic medial degeneration.
abstract: We report 4 cases of ascending aortic dissection in patients with long histories of weight lifting. In 2 of the patients, the initial symptoms of dissection developed while they were lifting weights. Two patients had a history of hypertension and 2 had previously used anabolic steroids. All 4 were successfully treated surgically. Histopathology showed aortic medial changes in all 4. We believe that the hemodynamic stresses of weight lifting, namely, a rapid increase in systemic arterial blood pressure without a decrease in total peripheral vascular resistance, in combination with aortic medial degeneration may have contributed to the development of the aortic dissection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Los Angeles County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: de Virgilio
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Milliken
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Snyder
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: MacDonald
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Robertson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D003560:Cysts; D005355:Fibrosis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009336:Necrosis; D014891:Weight Lifting / Q000293:injuries*