Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Abdominal aortic aneurysm refers to a critical disease condition caused in the lower aortic area. Typically enlargement of this major aortic segment is observed in such condition. Due to the importance of this aorta as a premier source of blood supply medium any rupture can become life threatening. At each step the treatment contains medication and proper monitoring of the situation and surgery is generally delayed till the condition becomes worst for the patient or any life risk circumstances arises. Emergency surgery in this regard always remains chancy.

Disease Statistics: The prevalence of AAAs is estimated at 1.3-12.7% in the UK. Symptomatic AAA in men has an incidence of 25 per 100,000 at age 50, which increases markedly to 78 per 100,000 in those over the age of 70. The incidence of AAA rose from the 1970s to 2000 but now appears to be declining.

Typical symptoms

Abdominal aortic aneurysm represents a sluggish growth, which is often ignored by the patients due to lack of proper and specific symptoms. Moreover, in certain cases the developed aneurysm never ruptures, therefore, decision making for surgery becomes cumbersome for the patient as well as for the responsible medical practitioner. Any kind of further prediction on the growth rate and the situation is not possible as there is varied evidence of cases which never followed any particular pattern.