The Aneurysm Detection and Management Study Screening Program

Top Cited Papers
Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
AORTIC ANEURYSM is the tenth leading cause of death in older men.1 Most of these deaths are caused by rupture or elective repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Strategies to reduce AAA mortality are needed and will require a clear understanding of the etiology and epidemiological features of the disease. In a previous article, we reported the prevalence and associations of AAA in 73,451 veterans aged 50 to 79 years who underwent ultrasound screening.2 Some of the principal findings of that study (eg, that the excess prevalence associated with smoking accounted for three fourths of all AAAs with diameter ≥4.0 cm, and that diabetes was associated with a substantially reduced prevalence of AAA) were unexpected and required confirmation. The purpose of our present article is to report the final results of the Aneurysm Detection and Management (ADAM) study screening program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and to attempt to validate our previous results by comparing them with those obtained from subjects undergoing screening after the first cohort.
Keywords