The Cause

The causes of AAA remain unclear and no medical therapy has been found to decrease growth or rupture rate of the enlarged abdominal aorta, and surgical repair is risky.

We have established methods and permission to join together all of the different sources of information from the NHS. By doing this on a national basis we can piece together what happens to people screened for AAA and what happens to people who are diagnosed with an AAA. In the future this type of research may even identify which commonly used medications protect people with AAA from future complications and/or improve their overall health.

Your kind support will go towards Leicester's research into AAA and help save the lives of AAA patients.

Improving the way we find AAA and manage AAA

The NHS AAA Screening Programme invites all men to have an ultrasound scan to check for an AAA at the age of 65. Any men who are found to have a small (low risk) AAA are monitored by the screening programme. If someone has an AAA that is large enough that there is a risk of it causing harm then they will be sent to see a vascular surgeon at a hospital. Unfortunately for many people the only effective way to treat an AAA is to have an operation.

In Leicester we were at the forefront of developing keyhole surgery for AAA and research to make this type of surgery safer. Around a quarter of people having AAA surgery will suffer a temporary deterioration in the performance of their kidneys around the time of surgery.

We have recently been researching whether some simple and readily available medications can protect patients against kidney problems and will soon expand this research across the country.

Listen to Prof Matt Bown discuss his research