This vascular disease is one of the most insidious: it is often too late when symptoms appear.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (or otherwise dilated abdominal aorta) is one of the most insidious vascular diseases that usually develops without symptoms, but can be seen on ultrasound. Unfortunately, most of the time the symptoms of the disease occur only when the aneurysm ruptures.

“50 percent fractured aneurysms. patients die this way without reaching the hospital. About 50-60% of those expected to undergo emergency operations survive. Therefore, it is very important to detect an enlarged aneurysm early before it ruptures. If the disease is caught early, good results can be achieved and many lives can be saved, ”says Assoc. Linas Velička.

According to the cardiovascular surgeon, the incidence in the elderly group is around 5%, while male smokers between 55 and 60 years of age are twice as likely to develop the disease. Other risk factors can include high blood pressure and cholesterol, atherosclerosis, heredity, or other diseases.

Rupture of the abdominal aorta usually manifests as sudden abdominal and back pain and general weakness accompanied by shock. The man loses consciousness. “A pulsating formation can also occur in the abdomen,” says Doc. L. Velička. – The development of the disease depends on the comorbidities, the nature and the location of the ruptured aneurysm. Without timely emergency care due to severe internal bleeding, a person does not survive. “

An abdominal aortic aneurysm is a condition in which the main artery in the human body is dilated more than three centimeters. Surgical treatment is applied when the diameter of the aorta increases above five centimeters. As aneurysms increase, the risk of rupture also increases.

“If aneurysms rupture, there is a high probability that a person will not survive, even after a successful urgent operation, 70 percent. Patients develop serious postoperative complications,” says the head of the Department of Vascular Surgery. – When an enlarged aneurysm is diagnosed early, elective surgery is performed, the mortality rate is only 2-5%. It also reduces the chances of complications. “

In the experience of foreign colleagues, early diagnosis programs help to significantly reduce the number of preventable deaths due to this disease.

“The early diagnostic method, ultrasound, is harmless and easily accessible. We suggest applying the same diagnostic principle in Lithuania and including all 65-year-old men in the diagnostic program. When performing an ultrasound examination of the aorta abdominal cancer at least once in our lifetime, we can detect the disease in a timely manner and provide timely treatment. This program would reduce the mortality of men with abdominal aortic aneurysms and extend the life expectancy of men, which in Lithuania is one of the shortest in the European Union ”, says the associate professor.

In the last ten years, according to the Institute of Hygiene, 1,522 people have died from abdominal aortic aneurysms in Lithuania, including 1,004 men.