Ritter's Hearth Condition Rare and Hidden

Sept. 12 -- The rare heart condition that led to actor John Ritter's sudden collapse can afflict people in their 30s to 70s and is difficult to diagnose before it's too late, say specialists.

"The fatal event — the rupture of the aorta [the main artery from the heart], is often preceded by severe chest and back pain," said Craig Smith, a professor of surgery at the New York Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City. "But there is rarely anything that 'warns' far enough in advance to be useful."

Ritter collapsed Thursday and was taken to Providence St. Joseph hospital in Burbank, Calif. His publicist, Lisa Kasteler, said the cause of death was a dissection of the aorta, the result of an unrecognized flaw in his heart.

Common Cause: Genetic Disorder

Aortic dissection happens when blood, surging from the heart, forces open a small rip in the lining of the heart's main artery. Most people who experience the severe tear range in age from 40 to 70. Ritter was 54.

The cause of a splitting varies among patients, said Rajendra Mehta, a clinical assistant professor in the cardiology division of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. For younger patients, the condition is usually linked to a genetic disorder that weakens connective tissues in the artery or to uncontrolled high blood pressure.

Less common associated causes can include trauma, weight lifting, prior heart surgery or cocaine abuse, said Mehta.

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If susceptibility is detected early, surgery can save about 80 percent of patients, but detecting the flaw is very difficult. The condition usually only becomes obvious by acute chest and back pain during a severe event.

"Since this condition is so rare and other causes of chest and back pain are much more common, a high index of suspicion is necessary," Mehta said.

A recent study found that, among those who experience the sudden crisis, one in three dies before leaving the hospital.

Rent Playwright Was Another Victim

The late playwright, Jonathan Larson, who wrote the hit musical, Rent, died at age 35 from the condition in 1996. Larson, whose aorta was weakened by a genetic disorder, had sought help at two New York City emergency rooms before he died, but doctors had attributed his pains to food poisoning and the flu.