Seeking a genetic link to aortic aneurysm

LEICESTER, England, June 23 (UPI) -- A British researcher suggests there may be a Y chromosome link to fatal aortic aneurysm in men.

Lisa Bloomer, a doctoral student of the University of Leicester in England says the Y chromosome, only found in men, may be an independent risk factor for the ailment, which has a 50 percent higher diagnosis rate in men than women.

Bloomer, who says the disorder kills 10,000 men each year in England and Wales, has undertaken a thorough DNA analysis tracking of the most common forms of the Y chromosome among British men.

"We anticipate that certain forms of the Y chromosome will be more common in those with aortic aneurysm than across the general population," Bloomer said in a statement. "Elucidation of a specific form of Y chromosome which significantly increases the risk of aortic aneurysm development in men could potentially save thousands of lives each year."

Bloomer is scheduled to present the research at the University of Leicester during The Festival of Postgraduate Research.