Risk Factors of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
There are certain factors that increase your chances of developing abdominal aortic aneurysm. These risk factors include:
- Older age: As you get older, your chances of developing the condition increases (over age 50 for people assigned male at birth, and over age 65 for those assigned female at birth).
- History of tobacco use: Researchers describe this as smoking at least 100 cigarettes during your lifetime. Your exact risk varies by use (the more you used it, the higher the risk).
- Sex at birth: The chances are higher for people assigned male at birth.
- Family history of AAA: Family history also has a say in the development of AAAs. About 10% to 20% of people who have a first-degree relative with an AAA also develop one. This means that you face a higher risk if your biological parent, child or sibling had an AAA at some point in their life. The association is especially strong among siblings AMAB.
Other risks that can play a role include:
- Having some form of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) [2]. This includes peripheral artery disease (PAD) [3] and coronary artery disease (CAD) [4].
- High blood pressure
- Having an inherited vascular connective-tissue disease
The most common complication is an aneurysm rupture, which causes 150,000 to 200,000 deaths each year around the world. AAA rupture leads to potentially fatal internal bleeding. Your risk goes up the larger an aneurysm grows.