|
The evidence is growing for screening men for abdominal aortic aneurysm, according to the results of a Danish study. One thing you don't ever need is a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. The chances of pulling through aren't great, which isn't surprising since the aorta carries all the blood away from the heart to the rest of the body. An aneurysm is a ballooning of the blood vessel because its wall has been weakened by disease. Aortic aneurysms are commoner in men and if you find them before they've reached a dangerous size, they can be repaired safely. The evidence is growing for screening. The test - for those he-men who fear the slightest prick - is a painless ultrasound. In the latest study, nearly 5000 Danish men aged between 64 and 73 were screened and followed for four to five years. The emergency operation rate in the screened men was 75 per cent lower and there were only a third the number of aneurysm related deaths. The downside was that over 350 men had to be screened for one life to be saved. It may be something you want to talk over with your GP, especially if you have coronary risk factors, because a ruptured artery is a lot more than a little prick.
|
