Government launches next phase of AAA screening initiative

The Department of Health has launched the next phase of its screening programme for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA).

According to health secretary Andrew Lansley, screening for the condition will be available to patients at NHS hospitals across the whole of England by the end of March 2013.

The latest phase of the rollout, which began in 2009 and is aimed at males over the age of 65, was formally unveiled at Leicester Royal Infirmary.

Mr Lansley said the AAA programme will save the lives of "thousands of older men" in the UK.

"Screening saves lives and improves the health of the nation – by spotting an aneurysm early, it can be monitored, prevented from getting worse and treated if necessary," he commented.

Aneurysms of this kind occur when the aorta, the body's largest blood vessel, weakens and expands. They often do not have any symptoms, unless they are large or expanding quickly.

Roughly 6,000 people in England and Wales die each year from AAA, with the condition mainly affecting men aged 65 and over.