Abdominal aortic aneurysm risk factors

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Microchapters
Home
Patient Information
Overview
Historical Perspective
Classification
Pathophysiology
Causes
Differentiating Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm from other Diseases
Epidemiology and Demographics
Risk Factors
Screening
Natural History, Complications and Prognosis
Diagnosis
Diagnostic Study of Choice
History and Symptoms
Physical Examination
Laboratory Findings
Electrocardiogram
X-ray
Echocardiography and Ultrasound
CT scan
MRI
Other Imaging Findings
Other Diagnostic Studies
Treatment
Medical Therapy
Surgery
Primary Prevention
Secondary Prevention
Case Studies
Case #1
Abdominal aortic aneurysm risk factors On the Web
Most recent articles
Most cited articles
Review articles
CME Programs
Powerpoint slides
Images
Ongoing Trials at Clinical Trials.gov
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse
NICE Guidance
FDA on Abdominal aortic aneurysm risk factors
CDC on Abdominal aortic aneurysm risk factors
Abdominal aortic aneurysm risk factors in the news
Blogs on Abdominal aortic aneurysm risk factors
Directions to Hospitals Treating Abdominal aortic aneurysm risk factors
Risk calculators and risk factors for Abdominal aortic aneurysm risk factors

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Associate Editor-In-Chief: Cafer Zorkun, M.D., Ph.D. [2]

Risk Factors

• The strongest independent acquired risk factor for AAA is smoking.
• In a study by Wilmink et. al wilminkref1, current smokers were shown to be 7.6 times more likely to have an AAA than non smokers.

  • The longer one has smoked, the greater the risk for an AAA, but the number of cigarettes smoked per day did not seem to correlate with risk after adjusting for duration of smoking.

• Age and family history are the strongest nonreversible risk factors.

  • The prevalence of AAAs among first-degree relatives of patients with AAAs ranges from 15-29%, compared with 2% among relatives of controls.

Other risk factors include:

• Hypertension
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Atherosclerotic disease in other vascular beds

  • Coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral artery disease.

Acknowledgements

The content on this page was first contributed by: C. Michael Gibson M.S., M.D.