Dianna Milewicz, M.D., Ph.D. director of the John Ritter Research Program, and her team of researchers at UTHealth, along with researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, published the discovery of common genetic variants which predispose individuals to thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissection (TAAD) in the absence of a family history of the disease (called sporadic TAAD) or a genetic syndrome which causes TAAD.  The variants are located in the same region on chromosome 15 as the FBN1 gene; changes (mutations) in FBN1 cause Marfan syndrome.  The researchers hope an increased understanding of how mutations and variants in FBN1 lead to thoracic aortic disease will ultimately result in effective treatments for individuals with sporadic TAAD.

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Amy Yasbeck continues to raise aortic awareness, appearing on the Rachael Ray Show on October 6, 2010. She discusses her new book, the John Ritter Foundation, and the John Ritter Research Program. Check it out: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/show/segments/view/amy-yasbeck/

Amy Yasbeck discusses her new book, With Love and Laughter, John Ritter, the hereditary aspect of aortic disease, and the importance of aortic health awareness on “The Today Show”, September 14, 2010.

The John Ritter Research Program, established as a collaboration between the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health and UTHealth, was officially announced today in a press release by UTHealth.

Watch The Doctors this Wednesday, April 14th, to see Amy Yasbeck (The John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health) talking about Aortic Dissection.
Check your local listings for time and channel. Episode: “Stop It Before
It Starts”

Wednesday, April 14, 2010.

Actress and widow of John Ritter, Amy Yasbek, shares her family’s heartbreak surrounding her husband’s sudden and tragic death. Learn how to prevent this tragedy from striking your family. And, age and sun spot dangers.

Video preview:

http://www.thedoctorstv.com/main/show_page/D2139

“Ritter’s Rules” were created for identifying patients at risk for Thoracic Aortic Aneurisms after actor John Ritter’s died. Ritter’s wife Amy and a doctor who helped create speak about them.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6307318n

Thoracic aortic aneurysms kill more than 15,000 people in the U.S. each year, but are often mistaken for heart attacks.

Actor John Ritter, the star of sitcoms such as “Three’s Company” and “8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter,” died of complications from this condition, and his family is now trying to prevent similar tragedies.

In September of 2003, while in rehearsals for a sitcom, Ritter complained of chest pains and was rushed to a nearby hospital.

He had a torn aorta and a large aneurysm, but he was treated for a heart attack, and died later that night. In a lawsuit that followed his death, the family’s lawyers claimed his life could have been saved.

Michael Plonsker, attorney for Ritter family, has said, “We remain convinced that the doctors contributed to John’s death.”

After Ritter died, his widow, actress Amy Yasbeck, started looking for information on the condition that killed him. She began searching online and making connections with people who’ve been affected by similar heart conditions.

Since then, Yasbeck has created the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health and campaigns for greater public awareness of the disease with The Thoracic Aortic Disease (TAD) Coalition.

Yasbeck, who appeared on “The Early Show,” said things have really taken off, especially with the creation of “The Ritter Rules,” which help with detection and treatment of the disease. Dr. Dianna Milewicz, of the University of Texas Medical School, who developed “The Ritter Rules” also appeared on the broadcast.

Read the Ritter Rules

Yasbeck has become an advocate for prevention and treatment of heart conditions. She said she’s doing what John would have done if he’d survived.

“John was that guy,” she said. “He knew that with the celebrity he had, came great responsibility. And we’ve taken that responsibility very seriously by lending his name to ‘The Ritter Rules.’”

She said “The Ritter Rules” have already saved the life of John’s brother, Tom.

Milewicz added Tom’s heart condition was repaired due to the knowledge of John’s disease.

Yasbeck said, “It was in the exact same place as John’s.”

Milewicz said family history is the leading risk factor of thoracic aortic dissection. But this problem, she said, can be treated if detected early through medical and surgical management.

For more information on thoracic aortic aneurysms, go to The Thoracic Aortic Disease (TAD) Coalition.

Original article posted on 1-news.net

Use “Ritter Rules” to stop Thoracic Aortic Disease

As heart disease continues to be a leading cause of death, it’s important to know the facts. Lisa Sigell reports.

View Video by clicking here.

New Coalition Launches Multi-Faceted Campaign to Maximize Impact of New Aortic Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines

By Thoracic Aortic Disease (TAD) CoalitionSign up for our Ezine

TAD Coalition Announces “Ritter Rules” to Heighten Awareness of Risk Factors, Symptoms, Urgency and Diagnosis of Aortic Dissection.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) – PORT WASHINGTON, NY – Death from aortic dissection. It happens to the famous – actor John Ritter; RENT composer and lyricist Jonathan Larson; U.S. Olympic volleyball star Flo Hyman – and to the not famous – Tyler Kahle, 19, a loving son and brother; Paul Marks, 31, a loving husband and father; Allison Dunvegan Reed, 23, a loving daughter.

Now, as the country’s leading medical associations unveil diagnosis and treatment guidelines for thoracic aortic disease[1], the recently established Thoracic Aortic Disease (TAD) Coalition is launching a multi-faceted public and medical awareness campaign to maximize the impact of the guidelines and reduce the number of deaths from aortic dissection and rupture.

Today, the Coalition announced the creation of “Ritter Rules,” named to honor John Ritter. The purpose of Ritter Rules is to help raise awareness among the public about aortic dissection so they can reduce their risk of the same kind of tragedy that took the life of the beloved actor. Ritter Rules are not a part of the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines, but rather an information tool the Coalition developed for the public.

“No one has to die or lose a loved one to aortic disease. Ritter Rules have been created as a tribute to John. His death brought renewed focus and a heightened awareness to the tragedy of aortic disease. With Ritter Rules, people at risk will be informed about their health and be able to advocate for their families and themselves,” said Amy Yasbeck, Ritter’s widow and founder of The John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health.

Ritter Rules can be found on the TAD Coalition’s new website, www.TADCoalition.org. In addition, people can read basic information about aortic disease, learn about risk factors, read profiles of people who have suffered from aortic dissection, and find links to a wealth of resources to find out more. A link to the AHA/ACC guidelines is also available on the website.

TAD Coalition

The TAD Coalition, which was convened specifically to promote the new guidelines and help assure that people with aortic disease can get the highest quality of patient care, has three primary goals:

Increase public awareness of both genetic and environmental factors that put people at risk of thoracic aortic aneurysms and acute aortic dissections
Provide educational materials concerning the symptoms, clinical evaluation and medical management of thoracic aortic disease
Improve the diagnosis and treatment of acute aortic dissections in the hospital emergency department

“The TAD Coalition is playing a critical role in helping to maximize the impact of the new thoracic aortic disease diagnosis and management guidelines,” said Loren Hiratzka, MD, who chaired the writing committee for the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. “While these new guidelines will inform and update the medical community, the TAD Coalition will inform the public of risk factors and symptoms for these aortic diseases. Together, we hope there will be better outcomes and, certainly, a reduction in the number of deaths from aortic dissection and rupture due to earlier diagnosis and improved medical management.”

Members of the TAD Coalition include the Ehlers-Danlos National Foundation, GenTAC (Registry for Genetically Triggered Aortic Aneurysm and Dissection), International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection (IRAD), John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health, Loeys-Dietz Syndrome Foundation, National Marfan Foundation, Nebraska Methodist Health System and the Specialized Center of Clinically Oriented Research (SCCOR) on Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms and Dissections. The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology have partnered with the TAD Coalition to promote awareness and adoption of the new guidelines.

Critical Issues in Thoracic Aortic Disease

“We have been concerned for a long time about the frequency of deaths due to undiagnosed aortic disease leading to aortic dissections,” said Carolyn Levering, President and CEO of the National Marfan Foundation, which convened the TAD Coalition. “Now we are able to combine our efforts with those of other like-minded organizations, and with the backing of the most well-respected medical groups, bring extensive awareness of this condition to the general public and reinforce among the medical community the best diagnosis and treatment practices for thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections. Together, we hope to prevent tragedy and loss.”

The critical issues in diagnosis and treating aortic disease, as outlined in the guidelines, include:

Thoracic aortic diseases often have no symptoms and are not easily detectable until an acute and often catastrophic complication occurs.

Only with specific imaging techniques can aortic disease be identified before a tear or rupture, yet some of the imaging techniques pose their own challenges, ranging from potential health risks to costs, which are not always covered for asymptomatic patients, even if they are deemed high risk.

The urgency of treating stable, high risk patients, despite being asymptomatic, because the surgery has better results before an acute or catastrophic dissection or rupture occurs.

Patients who are experiencing an aortic tear or rupture may have atypical symptoms, thus delaying the immediate care they need.

There is a growing body of evidence that genetic changes or mutations predispose some people to aortic diseases. Therefore, identification of the genetic alterations leading to these aortic diseases has the potential for early identification of individuals at risk. Understanding the molecular basis may lead to targeted medical therapy to then treat the disease.

More research is needed on aortic disease, its various causes and potential treatments.

Risk Factors

The primary risk factors for thoracic aortic disease are:

Genetic syndromes, such as Marfan syndrome, Loeys-Dietz syndrome, Turner syndrome and vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Family history of thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissections, in which there is an inherited predisposition for aortic disease but the gene defect does not cause a specific syndrome. The genes that lead to non-syndromic forms of aortic aneurysm and dissections are in the early stages of identification.

Other cardiovascular conditions associated with thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection include bicuspid aortic valve and associated congenital variants in adults, and inflammatory diseases, such as Takayasu’s arteritis and Behçet’s disease.

Many people do not know that they have a genetic predisposition or a cardiac abnormality that would put them at an increased risk for thoracic aortic disease.

In addition, there are a number of conditions associated with increased aortic wall stress than can lead to an aortic dissection. These are:

• Hypertension, especially if it is uncontrolled
• Pheochromocytoma (a rare tumor of the adrenal gland)
• Cocaine or other stimulant use
• Weight lifting
• Trauma
• Deceleration or torsional (twisting) injury (motor vehicle accident, fall)
• Coarctation of the aorta (narrowing of the aorta)
• Pregnancy

For more information about thoracic aortic disease, please visit the TAD Coalition at www.TADCoalition.org.

Original article can be found on healthnewsdigest.com