At present there is no evidence to show that inviting all men under 65 for screening would be beneficial.
About 95% of ruptured AAAs happen in men aged 65 and over. If you are aged under 65 and are worried that you may be at risk of having an AAA, you should speak to your doctor.
Men are six times more likely to have an AAA than women.
Ruptured AAA is less common in women and on average happens 10 years later than in men.
The National Screening Committee does not recommend offering women screening for AAA.
Women who have a family history of AAA should speak to their doctor who will be able to advise them.
If you miss your appointment you will be sent another letter inviting you to call us within 28 days to make a new appointment. If you don’t contact us during this time you will be ceased from our records, however you can refer back in at any time.
We will let your doctor know that you did not attend.
If you choose not to take part in AAA screening you can ‘opt out’. This means we will remove your details from our invitation list and not send any further information about AAA screening.
To opt out you can contact us by:
by phoning the local screening office numbers
emailing aaa.screening@wales.nhs.uk with your full name, date of birth, address and contact telephone number.
If you opt out but then change your mind, you will need to contact us to arrange for a screening appointment.
No, small and medium AAA have a low risk of rupture.
The risk of an operation is greater than the risk of monitoring small and medium AAA. An operation is not recommended for men with small and medium AAA.
If the AAA grows quickly (more than 1 cm a year) or becomes large, an operation may be an option. Your specialist team will talk to you about this.
It depends on the size of your AAA. If your AAA is small or medium, you can talk to your doctor or the AAA screening nurse about staying active.
If you have a large AAA you can talk to your specialist team for advice.
It will depend on the size of your AAA. The DVLA states you need to contact them if you have an AAA of 6.5cms or larger. If you have a large AAA you may be advised not to drive until you have received treatment. If you are unsure, speak to your doctor or the hospital specialist team, who can advise you whether or not you should drive.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) decide whether people can drive on the basis of their health or any conditions they may have.
You can find more information on the GOV.UK website.
It will depend on the size of your AAA. If you are unsure, speak to your doctor or hospital specialist team, who can advise you whether or not you should fly.
Yes, it is advised that you tell your insurance company about having an AAA. You may be charged an additional premium or have the condition excluded from cover.
When looking for cover, a broker can help. The British Insurance Brokers Association operates a ‘find a broker’ service that can help. You can contact them on 0370 950 1790