Over 65? Smoked even a little in your lifetime? You might want to get screened for this
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If you’re male, between the ages of 65 and 75, and have smoked as few as five packs of cigarettes in your lifetime, a federal task force is now recommending you get screened for a condition that is often fatal.
Abdominal aortic aneurysms occur when the aorta ruptures. It can be catastrophic, but catching the weakened artery before it ruptures and repairing the damage is relatively easy.
“What we recommend that certain people do is to get an ultrasound,” said Dr. Jon Hallberg, medical director of the University of Minnesota Physicians Mill City Clinic. “There's no radiation involved, it’s relatively inexpensive, and it's a highly accurate test.”
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