Definition
The aorta is the body's
major blood vessel. It runs from your heart, through your chest, and to
your abdomen where it divides to supply blood to your legs. An abdominal
aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a blood-filled bulge or ballooning in a part
of your aorta that runs through your abdomen.
Over time, this
bulge in your aorta can become weak, and the force of normal blood
pressure can cause it to rupture. This can lead to severe pain and
massive internal bleeding, or haemorrhage.
Causes
It
is not known what exactly causes an abdominal aneurysm in some people.
The ballooning may be caused by a weakness in the wall of the aorta
where it has become inflamed. Some doctors believe that this
inflammation may be due to clogged arteries (atherosclerosis), but it
may also be related to hereditary, injury, or other diseases.
Symptoms
Most
people with an abdominal aortic aneurysm do not have any symptoms.
Often, the aneurysms grow slowly and go unnoticed. Many never reach the
point of bursting; others enlarge quickly.
When an abdominal
aneurysm expands, you or your doctor may notice a throbbing in the
middle or lower part of your stomach, lower back pain, or tenderness in
your chest. Most abdominal aneurysms are identified during routine
medical examinations.
Risk Factors
While the exact causes of abdominal aortic aneurysm are not clear, there are some associated risk factors:
- Individuals over 50 – particularly males
- Smoking or a history of smoking
- Clogged arteries (atherosclerosis)
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Family history (genetic factors)
- High cholesterol (hypercholesteremia)
Diagnosis
If
your doctor sees signs of an abdominal aortic aneurysm, he or she may
arrange for special tests to confirm the diagnosis. Usually, these will
involve imaging of your abdomen using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),
computerised tomography (CT), and ultrasound imaging.
The images
produced by these methods help your doctor “see” inside your aorta as
well as other blood vessels and organs in your body to see if an aortic
aneurysm is present.