DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My daughter died of an aneurysm at age 69. What caused it? Is there a cure? Can it be inherited? She complained of pains in her stomach, and I told her maybe it was her gallbladder. She never told a doctor about her stomach pain. – H.M.

ANSWER: An aneurysm is a bulge on an artery wall. It’s a weak spot. If an aneurysm breaks, severe and quite often fatal bleeding takes place.

Aneurysms can occur on any artery. Brain aneurysms are common. Your daughter’s aneurysm most likely was on her aorta, the body’s biggest artery.

Age, smoking, being a male (men have more aneurysms than women), artery hardening and high blood pressure contribute to the formation of aneurysms. So does a family history. Were there any other family members who had one? An aortic aneurysm is not exactly inherited, but there can be a family tendency to develop one.

Aneurysm size is the criterion that decides what should be done. If it’s at a size that threatens rupture, the treatment is surgery. Sometimes a graft can be maneuvered into place before rupture by inserting it into the aorta through a surface artery. That saves a person from having an operation, but this procedure can’t always be done.

I’m sorry you lost your daughter. Her stomach pain might have been a slow leak from the aneurysm before it broke. After it breaks, there is little hope for survival unless surgery is done right away.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 82. For about three years, I have had irregular heartbeats. For the past five or six months I have had them continuously, and I am worried. My cardiologist and my family physician say I shouldn’t worry. They have not restricted me in any way.

I am sending you copies of all my tests. Do I have atrial fibrillation? – L.M.

ANSWER: You do not have atrial fibrillation. You have premature atrial heartbeats – extra beats that arise in the upper heart chambers, the atria, and are of no concern. They don’t impair your health one bit.

I have gone over your heart tests and am awestruck. You deserve a standing ovation for your heart. You have an ejection fraction of 63 percent. The ejection fraction tells how much blood your heart pumps with each beat. A 63 percent ejection fraction means your heart works like the heart of a teenager.

You exercised on the treadmill for seven minutes, something that not many your age could do. During the exercise, there were no bad changes in your electrocardiogram. Furthermore, you had an injection of a radioactive material and pictures were taken of your heart. There are no blockages in any heart artery. You are not a candidate for a heart attack.

You are the picture of heart health. Stop worrying. The worry is going to cause you more trouble than your heart can possibly cause you.

You don’t need the booklet, but people who would like more information on heart attacks can obtain the booklet on that topic by writing: Dr. Donohue – No. 102, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6 Can. with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Some time ago, you wrote about a Zenker’s diverticulum, a pouch in the back of the throat. My wife has a similar pouch, and it prevents her from swallowing solid foods. How is this corrected? – E.B.

ANSWER: A Zenker’s diverticulum is just what you said. It can make swallowing difficult because food enters the sack. From time to time, partially digested food escapes from the sack and makes its way into the mouth. That brings on very bad-smelling breath.

The only definite correction of a Zenker’s diverticulum is surgery.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I wrote to you before about my son, 43, who has iron overload. I would like to know how serious this is and the best way for him to stop producing iron. Should he avoid certain foods? I am worried sick over this, since I’ve never heard of the disease. – B.A.

ANSWER: Your son has hemochromatosis (HE-moe-CROW-muh-TOE-siss). Almost every reader who sees this will agree with you that it must be an exotic illness. It’s not that well-advertised, but it’s not rare. It’s one of the most common inherited illnesses.

Our bodies come equipped with a gauge that measures how much iron we absorb daily. People with hemochromatosis don’t have a working iron gauge. They absorb way too much iron. The excess is deposited in many organs – liver, heart, pancreas, skin, joints and pituitary gland. If nothing is done about it, the iron wreaks havoc with these organs. In the liver, it causes cirrhosis. In the heart, it can bring on heart failure. In the pancreas, it causes diabetes. It gives the skin a bronzed tinge. In joints, it leads to arthritis. Organ destruction doesn’t occur overnight. When the illness is discovered early and treated, none of these things happens.

This is an inherited illness. Both parents contribute a gene to it. If only one parent has the gene, affected offspring are not threatened with organ destruction. They’re carriers but don’t suffer major consequences.

The easiest way to treat hemochromatosis is to periodically remove blood, the body’s iron depository. Dietary changes don’t have to be made, and medicines don’t have to be taken.

Your son is relatively young, and it’s highly probable that his condition was discovered before any permanent organ damage occurred. With treatment, damage won’t happen.

All of your children should be checked for this illness, as should your son’s children. A gene test is available.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com

Copy the Story Link