First Population-Based Screening of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in Portugal

Background: The incidence of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repairs in Portugal is one of the lowest mentioned in the literature. This phenomenon can be justified either by a low prevalence of the disease or by its low detection rate. To date, the prevalence of the pathology is unknown. The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of AAA and its associated risk factors, in men aged ≥65 years and to evaluate the population's disease awareness.

Methods: All males aged ≥65 years registered in a Portuguese primary health care unit were invited to participate. The abdominal aorta was measured by ultrasound (inner to inner method). Concomitant risk factors and patient's AAA awareness were also assessed. An aortic diameter >30 mm was considered aneurysmatic.

Results: Nine hundred thirty-three patients were invited for the screening. Of these, 715 participated in the study (participation rate of 76.6%). The AAA prevalence in this sample was 2.1%. Eighty-five percent of the evaluated patients had never heard of the disease before. The mean age of the assessed population was 72.3 years; Multiple logistic regression analysis showed a positive association between AAA and history of smoking (odds ratio [OR] 8.8, P = 0.037) and history of dyslipidemia (OR 9.6, P = 0.035). A negative association was found between diabetes and AAA (OR 0.33, P = 0.045).

Conclusions: The found prevalence shows that a significant number of potentially fatal AAAs remains to be diagnosed in Portugal. These results highlight the need for an effective program of AAA detection in Portugal. The lack of awareness in the Portuguese population for this pathology should also prompt reflexion.