Which of the following conditions is a risk factor that increases the risk of aortic dissection?

• A. Hypertension
• B. Smoking
• C. Age
• D. Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

Answer: (D)

Aortic dissection happens when the inner lining of the aorta tears and blood splits the wall layers, so anything that weakens the aortic wall or increases wall stress raises the risk.

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, especially the vascular type, involves defects in type III collagen, which is crucial for the strength of blood vessel walls. This makes the aorta inherently fragile, so dissections can occur even with less external stress or at a younger age. The link is a direct structural weakness of the vessel wall, which is why this condition is a strong risk factor for dissection.

Other listed factors raise risk mainly through added stress or age-related degeneration rather than predisposing the wall to tear on a fundamental, structural level. Hypertension elevates shear stress on the wall; age brings progressive degeneration of connective tissue; smoking contributes to vascular damage and hypertension. These are important risk factors, but the inherited connective tissue disorder represents a more direct predisposition to dissection due to compromised vessel integrity.