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Based on randomized trials from the 1980s and 1990s, Sweden gradually introduced screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) between 2006 and 2015; all Swedish men are offered single ultrasound examinations at age 65. In contrast, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force limits its screening recommendation to the higher-risk population of older male smokers. (NEJM JW Gen Med Aug 1 2014 and Ann Intern Med 2014; 161:281). In recent years, AAA incidence and associated mortality have fallen sharply in the U.S. and Europe, apparently due to declines in smoking rates.
To assess the effect of the Swedish AAA screening program, researchers analyzed data on AAA incidence and mortality in all Swedish men (age >40) between 1987 and 2015. They compared…