It can strike without warning. It is silent. You cannot feel it and do not know you have it. It killed at least 14,000 people last year alone. And alarmingly, recent research shows that 50 percent of people with this silent killer are not eligible for screening under current Medicare guidelines.
It is an abdominal aortic aneurysm. And it is so lethal that it has been called the silent “U-boat in the belly.”
Abdominal aortic aneurysms
Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA or “Triple A”) are a ballooning of the largest artery in the body, the aorta. The aorta comes off the heart in an arch and supplies blood to the carotid arteries and the head. This arch then descends into the chest area and into the abdomen, supplying blood to the chest and abdominal areas.
When this artery becomes diseased, it can balloon out like an old car tire. This stretching puts pressure on the walls of the artery and, like a balloon with too much air, the artery can burst. This burst is called a rupture and is typically fatal.
“Approximately 30 to 50 percent of patients with a ruptured AAA die before they ever reach a hospital,” according to the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. “Even with surgery, there is 50 to 70 percent mortality rate associated with a ruptured AAA. Therefore, early detection and timely repair are paramount to AAA management.” You can read more about AAA and the current medical guidelines issue on the Life Line Screening blog.
Life-saving AAA screenings
Early identification requires a screening using ultrasound. This is a simple test that uses the same technology used to see a fetus inside its mother’s womb. It is painless and only takes a few minutes. A cool gel is placed on the abdomen and then a trained technologist uses an ultrasound wand to see inside the body and measure the aorta. Aortas that measure above 5.5 centimeters or more are considered at-risk and require surgery to be repaired. Aortas between 3 and 5.5 centimeters should be monitored to see if they are continuing to grow.
To find out more about preventive health screenings visit LifeLineScreening.com or join the Life Line Screening community on Facebook.
Treatments for AAA
There are good surgical treatments for abdominal aortic aneurysms. People who find out they have this condition at an earlier stage, before the AAA ruptures, have an excellent prognosis.
Current medicare guidelines
Despite the clear need to identify AAAs before they rupture, there are estimates that half of AAAs will be missed by current federal guidelines. Screening is only allowed for a small subset of the population – men, aged 65 to 75, with a history of smoking. No women or non-smokers are covered, despite the fact that researchers report that “at least 33 percent of ruptured AAA hospitalizations and 41 percent of aortic aneurysm deaths are among women, and 22 percent of AAA-related deaths occur in nonsmokers,” according to the Journal of Vascular Surgery.
This new research was conducted by independent researchers using data from more than 3 million people – the largest database of information ever gathered on AAA – collected by Life Line Screening, the nation’s leading provider of preventive health screenings.
Stay up to date on health news and information
For those concerned about their own risk for AAA or other health issues, it’s possible to get up-to-date, health-related news and information sent directly to your email by signing up for the Life Line Screening health E-Newsletter. It contains information that can help you live a healthier lifestyle and be more proactive about your health.