Not all diseases or conditions exhibit symptoms to let us know that we could be heading for serious health problems.

Vascular surgeon Abraham Sadighi explains that "Basically an aneurysm is a ballooning of a blood vessel and it can occur anywhere in the body."

Heart patient Lyle Ingersoll says "It just starts bulging and it could burst. I had tremendous pain with it."

Dr. Sadighi says that if a problem with the aorta is suspected, then an ultrasound or CT scan is typically ordered to measure the size in centimeters of the aneurysm.

Dr. Sadighi also says that "The size of his aneurysm was such that it needed to be repaired."

Lyle believes, "The important thing is if you've got a good doctor, if he recommends for you to have CAT scan every so often, do it."

Most aortic aneurysms occur in the abdominal aorta, the main cause being arteriosclerosis. This is a condition when fatty deposits are in the walls of arteries. Lyle also says that "Part of it may be heredity, there's been heart problems in the Ingersol family back through a couple of generations."

Symptoms of a triple A may be overlooked as vague complaints of abdominal pain or discomfort. But sudden excruciating pain in the lower abdomen and back can indicate a ruptured aorta - and that needs immediate attention.

This condition is most often seen in men aged 40 to 70. Ruptured triple A's are the 13th leading cause of death in the United States, which is why early detection and timely repair are so important with this condition.