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Risk factors

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Risk factors of AAA are similar to other cardiovascular diseases. Several modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors have been identified (1)

  • age
    • a study of 4345 subjects reported that people aged 25-54 were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with an AAA than those aged over 75
    • the incidence of aneurysms increases significantly with each decade in
      • men starting at 50 years
      • in women at 60 to 70 years
  • familial risk
    • a positive family history is associated with an increased risk of AAA
    • risk is four times as high among people with a family history of the disorder as among those without a family history
  • sex
    • women are less likely to develop an AAA than in age matched men.
    • risk is four times as high among men as among women
  • smoking
    • most important modifiable risk factor
    • aneurismal dilations are seven times more likely in smokers than in non smokers
    • is also associated with increased growth and rupture rate of AAA (1,2)

Other less prominent risk factors are:

  • hypertension
  • ethnicity
    • more prevalent amongst white population than among blacks, Asians and Hispanics
  • an elevated cholesterol
  • obesity
  • pre-existing atherosclerotic occlusive disease (1,2)

Reduced risk of AAA is associated with the following:

  • lifestyle factors - regular exercise, healthy diet (adequate intake of fruits, vegetables and nuts)
  • diabetes mellitus (1,2)

Reference:

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