What Increases Your Risk

The leading risk factors for an aortic aneurysm are:

• Advanced age.
• Being male.
• High blood pressure.
• Smoking.
• Family history of aortic aneurysms in first-degree relatives (parent, brother, or sister).
• Alcohol (more than 2 drinks a day).

When to Call a Doctor

Call or other emergency services immediately if you have signs of a ruptured aortic aneurysm such as:

• Sudden, severe pain.
• An extreme drop in blood pressure.
• Signs of shock.

If you witness a person become unconscious, call or other emergency services and start cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The emergency operator can coach you on how to perform CPR. For more information about CPR, see the Rescue Breathing and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation section of the topic Dealing With Emergencies.

Call a doctor immediately if you have:

• A pulsating mass in your abdomen.
• Sudden weakness in the lower extremities on one side of the body.
• Chest pain you have not experienced before.
• A "cold foot" or a black or blue painful toe for no apparent reason.

Call for a doctor appointment if you have:

• Pain in the chest, abdomen, or lower back, possibly spreading to the groin, buttocks, or legs. The pain may be deep, aching, gnawing, and/or throbbing, and may last for hours or days. It is generally not affected by movement, although certain positions may be more comfortable than others.
• Fever or weight loss for no apparent reason.

Who to see

Health professionals who can evaluate symptoms that may be related to an aortic aneurysm and order the tests needed for further evaluation of symptoms include:

• Family medicine physicians.
• Internists.
• Nurse practitioners.
• Physician assistants.
• Cardiologists or vascular surgeons.

If you have a fast-growing aortic aneurysm, you may be referred to a vascular surgeon, who can evaluate your need for surgery.