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Many of the baby boomers are hitting the 60-year mark. One of the common medical problems for people that are about 60 years old (predominantly men), is abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). While anyone can have an aneurysm, there is a certain group of people who are at a higher risk:
Whether a person is male or female, anyone 60 years or older should have a CT scan done to check for aneurysms, especially if the age is combined with any of the above risk factors.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery, while risky (as is any surgery), is usually successful. There are very little risk factors for an otherwise healthy person undergoing this surgery. The danger lies in allowing the aneurysm becoming larger than 5cm or if the aneurysm breaks open. Chances of death once an aneurysm breaks open is exponentially higher.
If an aneurysm breaks and the patient lives through the break and the surgery, the shock to the body may cause other complications, such as adult respiratory disease syndrome (ARDS) and renal failure. Both complications can be fatal, though ARDS has a higher fatality rate than renal failure. With special treatment using a ventilator, ARDS can be overcome.
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