What do Conway Twitty, Lucille Ball and George C. Scott All Have In Common?Death from Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: Baptist to Hold AAA Screening

Contact: Robby Channell, 601-968-5135 rchannell@mbhs.org

Jackson, Miss. – April 20, 2004 – Baptist Heart Services will offer an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Screening on May 15, 2004 at Baptist Medical Center in Jackson, Miss. This screening will help detect a condition that can be life threatening if not treated. Men 50 years of age or older, females 60 years of age or older and other individuals with a family history of AAA are eligible for the $35 screening. In the June 24, 2003, issue of The Wall Street Journal, it listed the AAA screening as one of the “Five Health Tests Worth Paying For.”

With this type of aneurysm, the main blood vessel from the heart extends to the abdomen that develops a bulge, which can continue to expand until it bursts. AAAs are caused, in part, when fatty substances accumulate within the wall of the body’s largest artery and cause it to weaken.

“Abdominal aortic aneurysms are often referred to as the ‘silent killer.’ Most people do not feel any symptoms,” said Charles O’Mara, M.D., a vascular and endovascular surgeon at Baptist. “Many people think of an aneurysm as only a burst blood vessel in the brain. Aneurysms are actually more common in the large artery in your chest and abdomen called the aorta.”

Baptist’s AAA Screening will pinpoint patients who may be developing AAA. The simple, non-invasive screening checks for dilation, stretching or ballooning of the aorta. The screening also includes lipid profile, hemoglobin/hematocrit, glucose testing and blood pressure screening. Health care professionals will also speak on a variety of vascular topics.

AAA is the third leading cause of sudden death in men over 60, and the 13th leading cause of death overall in the United States. Each year approximately 15,000 Americans die from the disease. Though the cause is not completely understood, risk factors include atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and hypertension. AAA usually strikes older men, but women can be affected too. Patients who have the risk factors for vascular disease are most vulnerable particularly if they have a history of smoking and/or high blood pressure.

“When aortic aneurysms are discovered early, they can be managed successfully,” Dr. O’Mara said. “Treatment options make it possible to prevent deaths if the problem is detected prior to a rupture.”

An individual screening takes 30 minutes and will be conducted from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. To register for the AAA Screening, contact the Baptist Health Line at (601) 948-6262 or 1-800-948-6262.

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