Simple thumb test can help indicate hidden aortic aneurysm

A simple thumb test can help indicate whether a person is harboring a hidden aortic aneurysm — which can prove fatal if left undetected and untreated, new research reveals. 

The self-conducted test, proposed by experts affiliated with the Aortic Institute at Yale New Haven Hospital, requires holding up one hand as if signaling someone to stop.  Then, the person should flex their thumb as far as possible across the palm. If the thumb crosses beyond the far edge of the palm, the patient may be hiding a hidden aneurysm — an abnormal bulge that occurs in the wall of the major blood vessel that carries blood from the heart throughout the body.