Think Aorta is an amazing non-profit organization whose focus is to help increase diagnosis time by educating medical professionals and first responders to Think Aorta when faced with unexplained chest pain.
Their initiative Think Aorta Think Family is so much more than just a catchy saying or hashtag. It is the idea that your family's health history is extremely important when thinking about your own health.
While everyone is still spending so much time at home with family, use this time to gather information about your family medical history.
Find out if anyone has diabetes, a stroke, cancer, died suddenly, maybe without explanation, had aneurysms of any kind or dissection, just to give some examples.
Get the conversation started! Consider it a scavenger hunt for information! In the event of an emergency, the more information you can provide the clearer the picture becomes for first responders. This information also comes in handy for intake for any clinical genetic appointments or research studies.
For detailed information from the CDC on how to capture this information click the link below:
Start creating your family medical history. Save it somewhere safe and easy to access, consider printing it off and keeping it handy. As the first true generation of individuals surviving aortic dissections the time is NOW to have these easy conversations with parents, siblings, grandparents, and children.
While we stress the importance of Think Aorta Think Family when it comes to aortic disease, your family medical history is important for all aspects of your health.