What is an ascending aortic aneurysm? Symptoms explored as Grant Wahl's cause of death is revealed 

On Wednesday, December 14, the wife of deceased soccer journalist Grant Wahl announced that her husband died of an ascending aortic aneurysm after the New York City Medical Examiner's office performed an autopsy.

The cause of death of the renowned soccer journalist, Grant Wahl, was revealed days after the 49-year-old died on Saturday, December 10, while covering a World Cup quarterfinal match in Qatar between Argentina and the Netherlands.

On Wednesday, Grant Wahl’s wife, Céline Gounder, told CBS that her husband died “from the rupture of a slowly growing, undetected ascending aortic aneurysm.” An ascending aortic aneurysm is described as a frail bulged area in the top part of the aorta, the largest artery or blood vessel in the body, that pumps oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest of the human body.

An aneurysm occurs when the artery walls bulge and weaken. They run the risk of rupturing at any time, leading to internal bleeding. An ascending aortic aneurysm is extremely life-threatening as it is attached to a vital organ—the heart—and affects about 10 out of 100,000 people every year.

---

Details of the symptoms suffered by Grant Wahl

Grant Wahl collapsed back into his seat while covering the World Cup quarterfinal match in Qatar. Wahl reportedly experienced chest pains shortly before his death, a symptom quite common with ascending aortic aneurysm, along with shortness of breath, cough, and back pain.

A World Cup Daily newsletter written by Wahl on December 6, 2022, indicated that the journalist suffered most of the symptoms before his death. He wrote:

"My body finally broke down on me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you. What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort.”

Wahl sought medical treatment at a medical clinic in Qatar that reportedly diagnosed him with bronchitis and sent him home with some antibiotics and cold medicine.

Grant Wahl’s wife expounded on her husband’s cause of death in Substack, stating that the chest pains he suffered were probably an indication of an aneurysm.

"Grant died from the rupture of a slowly growing, undetected ascending aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium, The chest pressure he experienced shortly before his death may have represented the initial symptoms. No amount of CPR or shocks would have saved him.”

Wild speculations surfaced following the death of the journalist, with many purporting that Grant Wahl died of unnatural causes. However, his wife dispelled the theories and set the record straight.

After Wahl collapsed in the stadium, he was given CPR by medical workers on the scene, who responded quickly and transported him to Hamad General Hospital in Doha, Qatar's capital city.