Risk factors for aortic aneurysms:   Coronary artery disease   Hypertension   Hypercholesterolemia   Hyperhomocysteinemia   Elevated C-reactive protein   Tobacco use   Peripheral vascular disease   Marfan syndrome   Ehlers-Danlos type IV   Bicuspid Aortic Valve   Syphilis   IgG4-related disease  Only four genetic reasons on the above list. Everything else is controllable by lifestyle choices. Screening (abdominal ultrasound) is recommended in 65+ smokers only and will only pick up abdominal aortic aneurysms. The above example sounds like a thoracic or aortic root aneurysm. That's a bad one. Hope your friend is OK, @orange-avocado