Health screening programme reaches one million landmark

A SIGNIFICANT health screening milestone has been reached today, with the one millionth 65-year-old man in England being screened for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).
This marks a key achievement for the national NHS Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening Programme.
An abdominal aortic aneurysm is caused when the main blood vessel in the body weakens and expands.
Most AAAs have no symptoms but, if left untreated, aneurysms can grow and rupture, which can be fatal. Eight out of every 10 people with a ruptured AAA die before they reach hospital or fail to survive emergency surgery.
Since the national programme began in 2009, well over 10,000 aneurysms have been detected that need monitoring or treatment and more than 2,000 men with large aneurysms, measuring 5.5cm or wider, have been referred for successful surgical repairs.
AAA screening is offered to all men registered with a GP during the year they turn 65.
Men over 65 who have not been screened can self-refer by contacting their local screening programme directly.
The nearest programmes to Warrington are at Wythenshawe Hospital and the Royal Liverpool Hospital and contact details are on NHS Choices at www.nhs.uk/aaa.
The aim of the screening programme is to reduce the number of deaths from AAA rupture through early detection, appropriate monitoring and treatment.
Seventy four per cent of eligible men in the North West took up their invitation for AAA screening in 2014-2015, showing how the programme is successfully engaging with the local population.
Screening involves a simple ultrasound scan that looks for a weakness and enlargement of the aorta. The results are available straight away.
Dr Anne Mackie, director of screening at Public Health England, said: “It’s great news that one million men have now been screened for AAA. The death rate after a rupture is about 80 per cent, as many patients die before they reach hospital. The programme has been a major public health success story and has proved to be crucial in detecting and treating large aneurysms, leading to the prevention of premature deaths in men aged 65 years and over.
“Screening has its harms as well as benefits and it is important that all eligible men make an informed choice when deciding whether or not to be screened for AAA.”
Abdominal aortic aneurysms are most common in men aged 65 and over, with smokers and former smokers, men with high blood pressure and those with a close family members who has had AAA, being at increased risk.