Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia- HHT
Layden woke up one morning coughing up blood. After hours and hours in the emergency room, we are now starting genetic testing for Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT). HHT is characterized by the presence of multiple arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) that lack intervening capillaries and result in direct connections between arteries and veins. (i.e. nosebleeds and "red spots" on the skin).
Today, we are looking for AVM's in his brain.
What is a brain AVM?Normally, arteries carry blood containing oxygen from the heart to the brain, and veins carry blood with less oxygen away from the brain and back to the heart. When an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) occurs, a tangle of blood vessels in the brain or on its surface bypasses normal brain tissue and directly diverts blood from the arteries to the veins.
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Layden was VERY Brave!!!
