Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, including details on aaa (abdominal aortic aneurism), cardiac disease, treatment, symptoms, surgery.

Frequency of abdominal aortic aneurysm in patients >60 years of age with coronary artery disease.

Madaric J, Vulev I, Bartunek J, Mistrik A, Verhamme K, De Bruyne B, Riecansky I

The Slovak Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Bratislava, Slovak Republic. jurmad@hotmail.com

Using B-mode ultrasound, we studied the prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA; diameter > or =3 cm) and its predictive risk factors in 109 consecutive patients who were >60 years of age and had coronary artery disease (CAD). A group of 60 age-matched patients who did not have CAD served as controls. The prevalence of AAA was higher in the CAD group than in the control group (14%, 16 of 109, vs 3%, 2 of 60, p <0.05). By multivariate analysis, only smoking was strongly associated with AAA (odds ratio 4.86, 95% confidence interval 1.55 to 15.25). In contrast, presence of diabetes mellitus was negatively associated with AAA in univariate analysis (odds ratio 0.11, 95% confidence interval 0.01 to 0.83) and a strong trend of inverse association remained in multivariate analysis (odds ratio 0.12, 95% confidence interval 0.01 to 1.03). Thus, systematic screening can detect AAA in 1 of 7 patients who are >60 years of age and have CAD. AAA shares some, but not all, risk factors of atherosclerosis.

Published 28 October 2005 in Am J Cardiol, 96(9): 1214-6.
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