Following a campaign by the Men's Health Forum in England, British prime minister Gordon Brown has announced plans for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening for men over 65.
Ian Banks, president of both the MHF and the EMHF, said: 'This should be good news for men's health but, as the Men's Health Forum has consistently called for, the government needs to announce the timetable for introducing abdominal aortic aneurysm screening and the details of resources to make it work.
'Abdominal aortic aneurysms kill more men than bowel cancer, and this will be much more preventable with a simple, cheap, one off ultrasound scan. One of the issues raised is the increased workload on vascular surgeons for AAA repair.'
AAA screening is part of a package of reform promised by Brown including plans for more diagnostic tests such as blood tests, electro-cardiograms and ultrasounds in GP surgeries.
