A team of experts that is affiliated with the Yale-New Haven Hospital aortic institute has said that a simple and easy thumb palm test might be able to detect if someone is dealing with an ascending aortic aneurysm. Experts have said that an aortic aneurysm is severe ballooning of a large artery in the heart. Experts, who have been involved in the new study, have said that the thumb palm test is effective and simple and should be included in the standard physical examination. They have said that the test is very useful particularly for people who have a family history of aortic aneurysm. The new study has enrolled nearly 305 patients who have undergone heart surgery. Experts have informed that these patients have been dealing with a number of heart issues such as ascending aortic aneurysm, valve repair, and coronary artery bypass grafting. The findings of the study have been released in the American Journal of Cardiology recently. The authors of the study have said that a positive thumb palm test is defined when the thumb crosses beyond the perimeter of the palm. They have said that it is more often diagnosed as an aortic aneurysm. As per the experts from Yale University when a person is able to move the thumb in such a direction, it is an indication that the person has excessive long bones and his or her joints are slack. They have said that it also a potential sign of connective tissue disease in the body along with an aortic aneurysm.
In the study, around 59 participants have been diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm. While 10 participants have been found to have signs and symptoms of the disorder. Around 295 participants have not shown any signs of the disorder, said the experts. The senior author of the study, Dr. John A. Elefteriades, who is the William W. L. Glenn professor of surgery at Yale University, has said that the findings of the study have shown that most patients who are diagnosed with ascending aortic aneurysm do not show a positive thumb palm test. However, patients who manifest positive thumb palm tests are at a higher risk of being diagnosed with aortic aneurysms. He has said that identifying people who are at a greater risk of this disorder from the general population before the disease strikes is a huge issue in this disease. Dr. John A. Elefteriades has said that health experts need to spread awareness about this simple test, which will help them identify silent aortic aneurysm carriers. He has claimed that the test has the potential to save many lives. Dr. John A. Elefteriades and his colleagues have incorporated the test and its findings in their lectures for 20 years. They have used this test on patients who are at risk of this disorder though the thumb palm test has not been tested in any clinical studies yet.
The authors of the study have said that it is crucial to understand that not everyone who shows a positive thumb palm test is an aortic aneurysm carrier. Aortic aneurysm more often takes decades to reach a point of rupture, said the experts. Therefore, people should not panic due to a positive thumb palm test. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that there have been fewer than 9923 deaths due to aortic aneurysms in 2018. As per the agency’s data, around 50 percent of deaths linked to aortic aneurysms have occurred among men. Health experts from the federal task force have advised that men who are in the age range of 65 to 75 years and who have a history of smoking should undergo an ultrasound test for abdominal aortic aneurysm irrespective of symptoms. The CDC has said that although smoking is the biggest risk factor for aortic aneurysms, high blood pressure, high levels of cholesterol, and hardened arteries as well can shoot up the risk of aortic aneurysms. The treatment of aortic aneurysm carriers consists of medicines and surgery. Experts can fix the affected aorta via surgery. People need to take blood pressure-reducing drugs along with it.