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Patients & Families

We are a large, friendly community of people in the UK & Ireland affected by Aortic Dissection. Some of us are patients, some are relatives/carers and some are bereaved relatives. You are not alone. We understand how this disease impacts people and we are here to help.

What is an Aortic Dissection?

Aortic Dissection (AD) is a life-threatening medical emergency involving a tear in the aorta - the main artery from the heart, which carries blood to...

Aortic Dissection Patient Guide for Patients & Families

Written by patients for patients and endorsed by Aortic specialists from three professional societies, our free, comprehensive, easy-to-understand...

Aortic Dissection Patient Support

Our most important activity is supporting patients and families affected by Aortic Dissection. You are not alone. Whatever you're experiencing right...

Family & Carer Support

We are the national patient charity for aortic dissection - dedicated to providing support to our families and friends that have been affected by...

Bereavement Support

The charity is a friendly, helpful organisation providing valuable support and information to everyone affected by Aortic Dissection, including...

Patient Stories

Many individual patient stories, together, make up the story of our Aortic Dissection patient charity. You can read some of them here. New stories...

THINK AORTA for Patients & Families

THINK AORTA is our patient-led campaign to improve diagnosis of Aortic Dissection through the simple diagnostic strategy of THINK AORTA -> CT scan...

Family Screening

Aortic disease can run in families, meaning that it can be passed down via the genes from one generation to the next. If a person has a family...

Membership for Patients, Carers & Relatives

Membership of the national patient charity is free for patients, relatives and carers and for healthcare professionals in the UK & Ireland with...

Patient & Family FAQs

Here are some of the questions that patients and family members ask us the most, with helpful answers in plain English.