An Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm is a localized widening or weakening of the main blood vessel in the abdomen. This vessel feeds blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
When the abdominal aorta is weakened it can eventually begin to leak or burst with no prior signs or symptoms. Risk factors for AAA include: smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. The most common cause of AAA is hardening of the arteries.