Screening women for abdominal aortic aneurysm
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Screening women for abdominal aortic aneurysm: a modelling study
IRAS ID
184898
Contact name
Simon Thompson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Cambridge
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
PROSPERO (York) database, CRD42015020444
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, days
Research summary
Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are bulges in the main vessel carrying blood from the heart to the lower body. They occur predominantly in older people, more frequently in men than women and in those who have ever smoked than never-smokers. AAAs increase in size over time, and can eventually rupture. The mortality rate following rupture is about 80%. So what can be done to prevent this from happening? An AAA is easy to detect by a simple ultrasound scan, taking less than 5 minutes to perform. If an AAA is detected, its size can be monitored over time by repeat scans. If it has grown to a large size (5.5 cm in diameter or more), surgery is usually recommended.
Such ultrasound screening of men for AAA at age 65 has been shown to reduce mortality and to be cost-effective for the NHS. Whether this extends to women is unknown, so at present the national AAA screening programme in the UK is restricted to men. In this project, we will evaluate whether screening women for AAA could save lives and provide value for money to the NHS.
This project will identify published studies and unpublished data that provide information about AAAs in women, and adapt a long-term health economic model of AAA screening, previously developed for use in men, to evaluate AAA screening in women. One main challenge will be to identify relevant and reliable information that applies to women alone.
The outputs from this research should have an immediate impact, either on national policy or in determining what additional studies are required.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 5
REC reference
15/WS/0136
Date of REC Opinion
1 Jul 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion