Men aged 65 and over will receive invitations to screen for abdominal aortic aneurysms, Health Minister Chris Fearne announced on Friday. 

The service, which will kick off from the Ħamrun community clinic, will see patients receiving ultrasounds to diagnose the condition, which otherwise exhibits no symptoms before causing a rupture in the body’s principal artery. 

Explaining that the condition is more prevalent in men, particularly men over 65, the minister said that the disease is difficult to detect and can lead to fatal consequences if left untreated. 

“Men above the age of 65 have a greater risk of developing an inflammation in this artery and if left untreated this can rupture and cause internal bleeding,” Fearne said. 

“When this happens, unless immediate action is taken, three-fourths of patients die in a matter of hours. Those who do make it to hospital still have a very high mortality rate.” 

Patients who suffer an abdominal aortic rupture have a 50% mortality rate, he continued, however, if the disease is caught earlier and treated through surgery, the risk of death goes down to just 5%. 

Luckily, he explained, the abdominal aortic aneurysm can be detected through a simple ultrasound, with the likelihood that the majority of patients will not require further medical interventions if this is spotted and treated in time. 

“Through a simple screening process we could be saving between five to 10 lives each year,” he said. 

Vascular surgeon Kevin Cassar, who is leading the screening project, said that up to 40 Maltese patients die from the disease every year. 

“The tragedy is not only that we lose these lives, but that they are totally preventable and that is the scope of this project,” he said. 

“We want to save lives that can easily be saved.”

“Thankfully we have an easy method to this and there are no needles or fasting or pain.” 

The service will be available from the Ħamrun community clinic from Monday.