Seminars in Epidemiology and Public
Health
at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine
The first seminar in the Autumn 2001 series
Tuesday 23 October
4:00pm
Screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms in Western Australia
Professor Konrad Jamrozik
Imperial College
In contrast to long-established downward trends in mortality from
both heart attack and stroke, the incidence of surgery for
abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) has been increasing in Western
Australia. Diagnostic bias is unlikely to explain all of this trend;
rather, AAA appears to be epidemiologically distinct from occlusive
vascular disease. It also appears to be an obvious candidate for
screening and early intervention, the more so with the recent
development of less invasive endoluminal approaches to repair of
aneurysms. This combination of factors prompted a
multidisciplinary team in Perth to undertake a large population-
based randomised controlled trial of ultrasound screening for AAA.
While the data on the impact of screening on mortality from AAA
are not yet complete, with 12,203 men screened, the project is
already yielding many interesting findings regarding the
epidemiology of AAA and its management
Seminar Room 130
Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine
Charterhouse Square
London EC1M 6BQ
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Alicja R Rudnicka MCOptom MSc PhD
Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine,
Barts and The London
Charterhouse Square,
London EC1M 6BQ
tel: 020 7882 6286
fax: 020 7882 6270
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