Due to the limited number of included trials , there is insufficient evidence to draw any conclusions about the effectiveness of cardiovascular prophylaxis in reducing mortality and cardiovascular events in people with AAA .
BACKGROUND Pharmacological prophylaxis has been proven to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in individuals with atherosclerotic occlusive arterial disease .
However , the role of prophylaxis in individuals with abdominal aortic aneurysm ( AAA ) remains unclear .
Several studies have shown that despite successful repair , those people with AAA have a poorer rate of survival than healthy controls .
People with AAA have an increased prevalence of coronary heart disease and risk of cardiovascular events .
Despite this association , little is known about the effectiveness of pharmacological prophylaxis in reducing cardiovascular risk in people with AAA .
This is an up date of a Cochrane review first published in 2014 .
OBJECTIVES To determine the long-term effectiveness of antiplatelet , antihypertensive or lipid-lowering medication in reducing mortality and cardiovascular events in people with abdominal aortic aneurysm ( AAA ) .
The fate of patients undergoing surveillance of small abdominal aortic aneurysms.
OBJECTIVES Increasing numbers of patients with small abdominal aortic aneurysms ( AAA ) are being diagnosed . The aim of this paper is to define the fate of those patients undergoing surveillance of small AAAs .  SETTING U.K. district general hospital . METHODS A prospect i ve study has been carried out of all patients undergoing surveillance .  At the time of the first consultation the patient was assessed , a Detsky score calculated and the referral source noted . End points of the study were elective repair of the aneurysm , aneurysm rupture or death of the patient . RESULTS Details of 267 patients were analysed . The referral source was general practitioner in 39 % , patients with peripheral vascular disease in 32 % and department of urology in 21 % . None were referred from population screening . The cumulative 5-year risks of rupture , elective repair or non-AAA related deaths were 15 % , 26 % and 46 % for all patients , 4 % , 13 % and 38 % for patients initially presenting with AAA less than 4 cm diameter and 21 % , 42 % and 54 % for patients presenting with an AAA 4 - 5.5 cm diameter . All but one of 11 patients whose aneurysm ruptured were unfit or had declined elective repair . There were 56 non-AAA related deaths , the majority due to cardiovascular causes . Those patients with low Detsky scores had a 5-year survival of 62 % , those with high scores 44 % . The age/sex matched survival or a normal population at 5 years in 80 % . CONCLUSION Overall the non-AAA related mortality was greater than the risks of rupture or elective repair . It is important to bear in mind the poor prognosis of this group of patients compared with a normal population when considering elective repair of small AAAs
Due to the limited number of included trials , there is insufficient evidence to draw any conclusions about the effectiveness of cardiovascular prophylaxis in reducing mortality and cardiovascular events in people with AAA .
BACKGROUND Pharmacological prophylaxis has been proven to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in individuals with atherosclerotic occlusive arterial disease .
However , the role of prophylaxis in individuals with abdominal aortic aneurysm ( AAA ) remains unclear .
Several studies have shown that despite successful repair , those people with AAA have a poorer rate of survival than healthy controls .
People with AAA have an increased prevalence of coronary heart disease and risk of cardiovascular events .
Despite this association , little is known about the effectiveness of pharmacological prophylaxis in reducing cardiovascular risk in people with AAA .
This is an up date of a Cochrane review first published in 2014 .
OBJECTIVES To determine the long-term effectiveness of antiplatelet , antihypertensive or lipid-lowering medication in reducing mortality and cardiovascular events in people with abdominal aortic aneurysm ( AAA ) .