SCREENING FOR ABDOMINAL AORTIC-ANEURYSM AND OCCLUSIVE PERIPHERAL VASCULAR-DISEASE IN JAPANESE RESIDENTS

To evaluate the prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and occl usive peripheral vascular disease (PVD) in Japanese residents, and to examine the correlations between these diseases and the risk factors o f atherosclerosis, 348 residents of a village in central Japan aged be tween 60 and 79 years were screened. The screening for AAA was perform ed using ultrasonography (US) and that for PVD was performed by palpat ion and Doppler US. No AAA was found, and a right common iliac arteria l aneurysm was detected in a 79-year-old man (0.3%). The mean diameter of the infrarenal abdominal aorta was 18.7mm and an abdominal aorta o f 25mm or greater in diameter was seen in 16 participants (4.6%), all of whom need to be followed up. PVD was suspected in two patients (0.6 %) with a low ankle brachial pressure index. Of a total of five patien ts diagnosed or suspected of having a common iliac arterial aneurysm o r PVD, four (80%) had at least one risk factor for atherosclerosis. Th us, we conclude that Japanese residents with risk factors predisposing them to atherosclerosis such as hypertension, obesity, abnormal serum lipid levels, and a history of smoking should be selectively screened for AAA and PVD due to the low prevalence of these diseases and from the viewpoint of cost-effectiveness.