The aorta is the main blood vessel that supplies blood to your body; it runs down from your heart through your chest and abdomen. An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) occurs when the walls of the aorta weaken and expand. As the wall of the aorta stretches, it becomes weaker and can rupture, causing internal bleeding. Around 85 out of 100 people die when an aneurysm bursts. Men are six times more likely to have an aneurysm than women.
If you have an AAA, you will not usually notice any symptoms or be aware you have one. Screening finds aneurysms early so we can monitor or treat them.
Patients with a small aneurysm (3cm - 4.4cm wide) are screened annually; those with a medium aneurysm (4.5 - 5.4cm wide) are screened every three months.
Those with an aneurysm 5.5cm or bigger (only 1 in 1,000 men have a large aneurysm) have an appointment with a specialist team to discuss treatment (usually an operation).
The screening programme has been set up with the aim to reduce the number of deaths caused by AAA by up to 50 percent.
The screeners travel to GP surgeries and community hospitals and screen men in their 65th year, using a simple, painless ultrasound scan. One in 70 men scanned is found to have an AAA.
Risk factors for this condition include smoking, high blood pressure or close family history.