Abdominal aortic aneurysm in women in Aotearoa New Zealand

Women with an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in Aotearoa New Zealand experience inequity at every stage of diagnosis and management. We currently treat women too late in their disease course, where increased age, comorbidities, larger AAA diameter, preventable ruptures, loss of eligibility for simple endovascular repair (EVAR) and clinical "turn down for surgery" rates all add to higher AAA mortality. There is scope for great improvements in cardiovascular risk reduction for people living with a small AAA and for considering the inclusion of women in proposals for an AAA screening programme.