How common are abdominal aortic aneurysms?

Question

Accepted Answer

Older men waiting for aneurysm screening at a vascular clinic

If you have just come across the words abdominal aortic aneurysm, it is natural to ask how often it happens. Here is a plain answer for readers in Frankfort, Illinois, with the source named.

One number for one group

my.clevelandclinic.org reports that abdominal aortic aneurysms occur in between one percent and two percent of males over age 65. That is one figure for one group of people.

How to read a number like that

A percentage describes a group, not you. For the wider picture, the NHLBI, NIH overview of aortic aneurysm is a good companion read.

One simple next step

Write down your age and the questions on your mind, then bring them to a clinician. The Society of Interventional Radiology page on abdominal aortic aneurysm and IR treatment options is a second place to read before that conversation.