What causes an abdominal aortic aneurysm?

If you have just learned the term abdominal aortic aneurysm, or AAA, you probably want to know what causes one. The source below explains it in a few plain lines.

What the source says about the cause

According to my.clevelandclinic.org, an underlying weakness in your aorta's wall causes an AAA to form. my.clevelandclinic.org adds that many environmental and hereditary factors come together to cause this weakness. In short, the source points to one weak spot with several contributing factors.

A good next read

Check this answer against two other pages. The Society of Interventional Radiology page on abdominal aortic aneurysm and treatment options is a good first stop. The NHLBI, NIH page on aortic aneurysm is a second view, and you can bring any question from either page to your doctor.