Smokers may contract abdominal aortic aneurysm: Doctors

Smokers run a high risk of developing Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, a silent killer, which is prevalent mostly in males of age-group of 65-75, doctors here said today.
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm is a localised ballooning of the aorta and if any rupture occurs, overall mortality is 75-90 per cent, making it the third leading cause of death in men over 60.
It is very important to diagnose and preventively treat AAA, doctors said.
Senior interventional cardiologist of city-based Belle Vue clinic, S B Roy, said mortality rate of rupture repair surgery is 60 per cent to 90 per cent.
"This is a less known but critical ailment causing death in most cases," Roy said, adding that the major complication of AAA is rupture, which is life-threatening, as large amount of blood can lead to death within minutes.