Fiducia TogetherAortic aneurysm
Also called AAA, Abdominal aortic aneurysm
A bulge in the body's main artery. Silent until it ruptures, and there is a free scan that finds it.
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice, and it is not a diagnosis. If you are worried about your health or someone else's, speak to a GP, pharmacist, or call 111. In an emergency, call 999.
What it is
The aorta is the body's main artery. An aneurysm is a bulge in its wall, and as it grows the wall thins, until it can tear.
A ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm kills around 8 in 10 people who have one. Most die before reaching hospital.
Repaired before rupture, planned surgery has a very much lower risk.
The NHS offers a free one-off ultrasound scan to men in the year they turn 65. It takes minutes, it is painless, and it is one of the clearest examples of screening saving lives. Uptake is good and not universal, and men over 65 who missed it can still request one.
Women are not screened because the condition is around six times commoner in men, though women with risk factors should ask.
Signs you might notice
Almost always nothing at all. That is why screening exists.
Occasionally a pulsing sensation in the abdomen, or persistent back or abdominal pain.
Rupture: sudden severe abdominal or back pain, dizziness, collapse, a pale clammy appearance. This is a 999 call and every minute counts.
Anybody with known aneurysm who develops sudden severe pain should call 999 and say the words aortic aneurysm.
How it can affect day-to-day life
Being under surveillance for a small aneurysm is psychologically difficult. People live with a known weak point and a scan every six or twelve months, and the anxiety is rarely addressed.
Smoking is the strongest modifiable risk factor by a wide margin, both for developing one and for it growing.
Blood pressure control slows growth.
Supporting someone well
Take the screening scan. If a man has turned 65 and did not attend, ring and ask for one.
Stop smoking. Nothing else on this list comes close for effect.
Control blood pressure, and take statins as prescribed.
Attend every surveillance scan. Growth rate determines when repair is offered.
Know the rupture signs, and make sure family members do, since the person may not be able to explain anything.
Address the anxiety of surveillance rather than treating it as unreasonable.
Where to get help
Contact the local NHS AAA screening programme directly to request a scan if you are a man over 65 who has not had one.
Circulation Foundation provide patient information on vascular conditions.
Sudden severe abdominal or back pain with collapse is a 999 emergency.
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice, and it is not a diagnosis. If you are worried about your health or someone else's, speak to a GP, pharmacist, or call 111. In an emergency, call 999.