Aortic Dissection Awareness UK & Ireland

is the national patient charity for Aortic Dissection in the UK & Ireland. 

We are the voice of Aortic Dissection patients in the UK & Ireland. Our work involves raising awareness of Aortic Dissection; providing vital information and support for patients and families affected by the condition; working with healthcare providers to improve diagnosis & treatment and reduce healthcare inequalities; and partnering with researchers to bring forward new insights that improve future care for Aortic Dissection patients.

Membership is free for patients, relatives and carers and for healthcare professionals in the UK & Ireland with an interest in Aortic Dissection. Becoming a member enables you to show your support for the charity and ensure that you are kept informed of our news and invited to our events (including our flagship annual conference Aortic Dissection Awareness Day UK). It also enables you to find out about and apply for one of our many volunteering opportunities, perhaps even serving on the Committee, or as a Trustee, if you so wish.

Please click the button to apply to become a member.

Our most important activity

We are a community of people affected by Aortic Dissection providing support, advice and a shoulder for patients, carers and relatives in the UK and Ireland. Our Facebook Support Group settings are Private, meaning only Group Members can have input, read comments, and personal stories.  The most common first post made by a new member is “I am so glad I found you all, I no longer feel alone, thank you for your warm welcome”.  It’s a group that none of our members would wish to find necessary, but once joined they never want to leave, nor could they do without.

If you are a survivor, relative or carer affected by Aortic Dissection : 

please visit and request to join the Group (click below), or reach us via our Contact page.

Diagnosis, Care and Prevention

Our THINK AORTA campaign aims to raise awareness and improve diagnosis of Aortic Dissection worldwide.  Research has shown that a diagnosis of Aortic Dissection is considered in less than half of patients who arrive at the ED with the condition and that one-third of patients with Aortic Dissection are actively treated for a different, incorrect diagnosis.  You can go directly to our THINK AORTA page.

We are also working hard across all aspects of the patient pathway, from prevention, genetics and screening, through management and aftercare of the condition, to research to advance our knowledge of AD.

See more on our many activities in these areas:

Our annual flagship event

is Aortic Dissection Awareness Day UK on 19th September – now in its 8th year. This is the UK’s national event dedicated to Aortic Dissection for patients, relatives and healthcare professionals. See our About page for more details.

On Aortic Dissection Awareness Day, countries around the world link up to create a wave of awareness about Aortic Dissection. Our global THINK AORTA campaign is at the forefront of this. Here in the UK, we bring together patients, families, clinicians, and NHS representatives to increase awareness, collaborate, accelerate change and improve patient care & outcomes.