Pilot screening programmes for abdominal aortic aneurysms in men aged 65 are due to be launched in England this year, but is this move too hasty? Two experts debate the issue in this week’s BMJ.

A research team led by scientists at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston has identified a defective gene that affects vascular smooth-muscle cells in people who suffer from hereditary thoracic aortic disease, which can kill victims with little warning in the prime of their lives.

In 9 out of 10 cases, a burst abdominal aortic artery is quickly fatal for its most common victim: elderly males. A new study—the largest yet performed—now confirms that women over 65 with a history of smoking or heart disease are also at high risk for an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA)—supporting the notion that they should also receive ultrasound screening to help spot and correct the dangerous condition.

Yale scientists have discovered a way to use a simple blood test that may accurately detect thoracic aneurysm disease (TAA), which gives little warning and is almost always fatal if untreated.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a common disease of the main artery (the aorta) in the elderly. It is characterized by a dilated aorta and if allowed to develop unchecked it can rupture, an event with a high rate of mortality. In a new study, Guo-Ping Shi and colleagues at, Harvard Medical School, Boston, have demonstrated a role for immune cells known as mast cells in the development of disease in a mouse model of AAA.

Between 5% and 10% of men aged 65 to 79 have abdominal aortic aneurysms, but don't know it. If their weakened arteries burst they stand a very high risk of dying. Ultrasound screening of men in this age group can significantly reduce the numbers of men who die from this condition. The overall benefits of screening are complex, however, because many men may be subjected to unnecessary anxiety and/or to the complications of surgery.