The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association joint committee on clinical practices issued new guidelines for the diagnosis and management of aortic disease, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).
Genetics Behind Aneurysms
Dr. Milewicz informs about how genes can predict progression of aortic aneurysms to dissections. Genes can also predict other vascular disease the patients may be at risk for. Genetic testing and routine imaging from the head to the pelvis are important to monitor aneurysms of the aorta and other arteries in patients with aortic disease. Dr. Milewicz explains how mutations in the ACTA2 gene can cause enlargement of the aorta and also cause occlusion (closure) of other arteries, indicating the urgent need for research to understand underlying pathways that are responsible for differences in clinical manifestations of genetically triggered aortic disease. Click here for the video
Physician-Scientists are crucial to our future
Dianna Milewicz, MD, PhD, Chair of GADAs’ Professional Advisory Board and Executive Chair of the international Montalcino Aortic Consortium (MAC), explains why Physician-Scientists are crucial for the future, having a significant role in developing better treatments and saving lives. The Physician-Scientist workforce has been declining, and we need to change that trend in order to solve human deceases. Click here for the video
Dr. Milewicz is the President George H.W. Bush Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine, Director of the Division of Medical Genetics and Vice-Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Centre at Houston, Texas, USA.