Risk factors

Some of the things that may raise your risk of aortic dissection include:

• Uncontrolled high blood pressure (hypertension)
• Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis)
• Weakened and bulging artery (aortic aneurysm)
• An aortic valve defect (bicuspid aortic valve)
• A narrowing of the aorta at birth (aortic coarctation)

Certain genetic diseases increase the risk of having an aortic dissection, including:

• Turner syndrome. High blood pressure, heart problems and other health conditions may result from this disorder.
• Marfan syndrome. This is a condition in which connective tissue, which supports various structures in the body, is weak. People with this disorder often have a family history of aneurysms of the aorta and other blood vessels or family history of aortic dissections.
• Other connective tissue disorders. This includes Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a group of connective tissue disorders that involve loose joints and fragile blood vessels and Loeys-Dietz syndrome, which causes twisted arteries, especially in the neck.

Inflammation of the arteries (giant cell arteritis) may also increase your risk of aortic dissection.

Other potential risk factors for aortic dissection include:

• Sex. Men are more likely to have aortic dissection than women.
• Age. Aortic dissection is more likely in people age 60 and older.
• Cocaine use. This drug temporarily raises blood pressure.
• Pregnancy. Infrequently, aortic dissections occur in otherwise healthy women during pregnancy.
• High-intensity weightlifting. This and other strenuous resistance training may raise your risk of aortic dissection by increasing blood pressure during the activity.