ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Chirurgia 2020 February;33(1):9-14

DOI: 10.23736/S0394-9508.19.04941-6

Copyright © 2019 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Abdominal aortic aneurysms ultrasound screening of rural Israeli Arab smokers

Asaf RABIN ^{1, 2} ✉, Rana AFIFI ^{1, 3}, Liana FAHOUM ¹, Sigalit RAPPAPORT ¹, Ron KARMELI ^{1, 2}

¹ Haifa and Western Galilee District, Clalit Health Services, Haifa, Israel; ² Hadassah Medical Center, Vascular Surgery, Jerusalem, Israel; ³ Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, UT Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA

BACKGROUND: The Arab population in northern Israel is at high risk for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAA) due to high smoking prevalence, lack of preventive medicine services and probable genetic factors.
METHODS: Duplex ultrasound screening was performed in the primary clinics in different Arab villages in northern Israel. The screening population included men aged 60-80 years old who were active or past smokers. The maximal aortic diameter was recorded and classified into one of four sub-groups: A - <3cm, B - 3cm-4.5cm, C - 4.5cm-5.5cm, D - >5.5cm. Follow-up or treatment recommendations were given accordingly. Medical background questionnaire was filled for each patient. Statistical analysis was performed using IPSS.
RESULTS: We found a high average prevalence of AAA in the examined populations (8.0%) with a significant variability between different villages (range: 0%-20.6%).
CONCLUSIONS: The difference between villages in AAA prevalence suggests the existence of genetic origin. Thus, higher prevalence villages may serve for future genetic studies. Conducting the screening for AAA in primary care clinics of under-served population contributed to the awareness of the local medical teams to the need for preventive measures.

KEY WORDS: Aortic aneurysm, abdominal; Arabs; Population groups; Ultrasonography; Duplex; Diagnosis