What is the aorta?
The aorta is the body's main artery. It carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. An aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of the aorta. A dissection is a tear in the wall of the aorta.
When to call 999
Call 999 if you or someone else:
- have sudden, severe pain in your tummy or back
- are struggling to breathe or have stopped breathing
- have pale or grey skin (on brown or black skin this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet)
- lose consciousness
These could be signs of an abdominal aortic aneurysm bursting (rupturing). This is a life-threatening emergency that needs to be treated in hospital as soon as possible.
Source: NHS
Know Your Risk
Early detection starts with knowing when to ask.
01
Men turning 65
In England, men are invited for NHS AAA screening in the year they turn 65. It's a painless ultrasound scan that takes 10 to 15 minutes.
02
Family history
Some aortic conditions run in families, including Marfan, Ehlers-Danlos and Loeys-Dietz syndromes. If one affects your family, tell your GP.
03
Blood pressure and cholesterol
Ask your GP to check them.
04
Few or no symptoms
Aneurysms often cause few or no symptoms until late. If you're worried, speak to your GP.
Common Questions
What is aortic disease?
Aortic disease covers conditions that affect the aorta, including aneurysm (a bulge in the aortic wall) and dissection (a tear in the aortic wall).
Who is invited for NHS screening?
In England, men are invited for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening in the year they turn 65. The scan is a painless ultrasound that takes 10 to 15 minutes.
What does NHS screening find?
In 2023 to 2024, the NHS AAA screening programme screened over 271,000 men, found 2,004 aneurysms and referred 810 men with large aneurysms to specialists (UK National Screening Committee, 2024).
Why does early detection matter?
Found early, an aneurysm can be monitored and, if needed, repaired with planned surgery, which carries a low risk and a high success rate. If an aneurysm ruptures, the risk of death is much higher.
How common is aortic dissection?
It's widely estimated that about 4,000 people a year in the UK are affected by aortic dissection, and only about 1,200 reach hospital alive (Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery, 2019). In England, 6,918 people were admitted to hospital with aortic dissection between November 2017 and October 2022, and the rate is rising (conference data reported by Vascular News, April 2024).