Abdominal aortic aneurysm disease: health risks,management and screening

Abstract

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) disease is a condition that affects mainly men over the age of 65 years. The majority of AAAs will remain asymptomatic and therefore undetected. These undetected aneurysms will invariably grow enough for their walls to rupture leading to death in nearly 75% of those affected. Ultrasound-based AAA screening has been shown to reduce the risk of dying of an AAA by half. This significant reduction of mortality offered by a simple and sensitive non-invasive test has prompted the Department of Health to introduce a national AAA screening programme for England and Wales. In this article, the public health risks of AAA disease together with details of the impact of the anticipated national AAA screening programme are discussed.