Unusual Symptoms of an Aortic Dissection

Aortic dissection can have many unusual symptoms, including:

Neurological symptoms: Such as ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack, transient global amnesia, ischemic neuropathy, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, spinal cord ischemia, and seizures

Syncope: Fainting

Dyspnea: Shortness of breath

Facial swelling: Mimicking superior vena cava obstruction

Gastrointestinal hemorrhage: Bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract

Loss of pulses: In the extremities

Paresthesias: In the extremities

Aortic dissection can be difficult to detect, especially in young people. Symptoms can be vague and nonspecific, and may go unnoticed until the tear causes other symptoms.

Classic signs and symptoms of aortic dissection include: blood pressure discrepancies between the upper extremities, pulse deficits, and a diastolic murmur.

A combination of a detailed pain history, neurological findings, and physical examination features can alert clinicians to the possibility of a dissection.

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