More should be screened for rare abdominal condition, doctors say

HARLINGEN - Dr. Shereef Hilmy thinks more people need to be screened for a condition that can cause sudden death if left unchecked.

Aortic abdominal aneurysm is a bulge or enlargement of the abdominal aorta, which supplies blood to the lower body. If that blood vessel bursts, patients quickly can go into shock and die, doctors warn.

"You don't hear about it much in the media ... but it's the 13th leading cause of death in the U.S.," Hilmy, a cardiologist, said after speaking at a symposium on the condition at Harlingen Medical Center on Wednesday.

Doctors diagnose about 200,000 cases of abdominal aneurysm in the U.S. each year, according to the Society for Vascular Surgery. Of those, about 15,000 are life threatening.

People most at risk of developing an aneurysm are men older than 60, people with a family history of the condition, people with high blood pressure and smokers.

The condition can be picked up easily by an ultrasound, Hilmy said.

A doctor can monitor smaller aneurysms to see if they grow. Larger aneurysms might require surgery, such as an insertion of a stent - a fabric-and-metal tube - to strengthen the aorta and prevent ruptures.

By the time a patient experiences symptoms, the aneurysm could be ready to burst, the vascular society says. Symptoms include a pulsing feeling in the abdomen, pain in the abdomen or lower back or sore and discolored feet.

Patients who are at risk should be screened, Hilmy said at the symposium.

"Screening saves lives," he said.