Symptoms of AORTIC DISSECTION

Signs and symptoms usually include sudden and severe chest or upper back pain. People often describe the pain as "ripping" or "tearing." In some people, signs and symptoms can be nonspecific, such as anxiety, pallor, sweating and nausea. Aortic dissection may be misinterpreted as a heart attack. But it can also occur at the time of a heart attack, if the dissection involves a coronary artery. A chest X-ray or ultrasound examination may identify a pre-existing abnormality of the aorta, such as a widening (dilation) of the aorta, before dissection occurs. But sometimes, an abnormality isn't found before the dissection. A tear in the aorta can also cause blood to leak into the sac around the heart (pericardium) — called cardiac tamponade. This can quickly cause death. A tear in the aorta that results in massive bleeding into the chest is usually fatal.