Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a complex and life-threatening vascular disease with high incidence worldwide. Termed the silent killer, most AAAs are asymptomatic, often going undetected until rupture, and involve a poorly understood set of mechanical and biochemical events. Epidemiologic studies have established associations between AAA and both vascular inflammation and increased stiffness. That the latter is concomitant with aging explains, in part, why AAA affects almost exclusively those over 65 years of age.