Q25.1: Coarctation of aorta

Your main artery (aorta) is narrowed in one place. This condition is congenital, which means you were born with it.

The aorta supplies the whole body with oxygen-rich blood. The aorta begins at the heart itself. First it runs upwards and then it arches down through the chest to the abdomen. At around the level of the navel, the aorta branches into 2 large blood vessels. These blood vessels first run to the pelvis and then to the legs. Your aorta is narrowed in one place shortly after the arch.

If the aorta is narrowed, less blood can flow through the aorta into the abdomen or the legs and must therefore flow through the body another way. Therefore, some of your blood vessels may be formed differently than would normally be the case. These blood vessels may run along the ribs, for example.

This means your heart has to work harder to pump blood through the narrowed aorta or the other blood vessels. You may have high blood pressure as a result. High blood pressure may give you frequent headaches or nosebleeds. You may tire quickly with exertion or experience shortness of breath. You may also not be getting enough blood supply to your legs or the organs in your abdomen, causing your liver or kidneys, for example, to stop working properly. You may also have pains or cramps in the legs.

If the heart has to work much harder than normal, it may become weakened. A weak heart can make you seriously ill.