The study was conducted to determine the incidence of abdominal aortic aneurysm in the siblings of a group of Australian AAA patients. Aortic ultrasound screening was offered to 1254 siblings of 400 AAA patients, of whom 276 were contacted and agreed to the screening or had a previous diagnosis (55) of AAA. Of the 276, 84 (30%) had enlarged aortas. The authors found that this overall 30% incidence of aortic enlargement in the siblings (43% of male siblings and 16% of female siblings) warranted a targeted screening approach with ultrasound for all siblings of patients with AAA. The also advised that children of AAA patients also be screened.
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