Prevalence of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Backgraound: The prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) increases with age and affects almost 5% of the population who are 50 years old. It has been demonstrated that ultrasound examination is accurate in identifying and following patients who have AAA and is favoured as a screening method in subjects who are at high risk. It has been previously demonstrated that, there may be a relation and coincidence between AAA and coronary artery disease (CAD) , however the debate is ongoing. This study aims at evaluating the prevalence of AAA in patients with CAD. Mthods: In an analytic-descriptive cross-sectional study, 234 candidates for coronary artery angiography were studied in Tabriz Imam Khomeini and Madani Hospitals during an 18 month period. Abdominal duplex ultrasonography was employed for examining the cases for presence of AAA, which was considered as presence of abdominal aortic diameter ≥30 mm. Frequency of AAA was compared between the two groups. Results: One hundred eighty four patients with CAD and 50 age and sex-matched controls without CAD were enrolled in the study. Frequency of AAA was 4.3% in those with CAD versus zero in those without it (p=0.208). According to ROC curve analysis, age of patients with CAD (≥67 years) predicted the presence of AAA with a sensitivity and specificity of 75% and 80%, respectively. In this age group, frequency of AAA was 14% and zero respectively in those with and without CAD. Frequency of AAA was 2.2%, 5% and 8.8% in patients with 1vessel, 2vesseles and 3vesseles CAD, respectively (p=0.269). Conclusion: According to the current study, age is a significant risk factor for AAA in patients with CAD. So it is recommended that the screening program with duplex ultrasonography be considered in older patients with CAD. For determining an exact age-related cut-off point, further studies with larger sample sizes are recommended to be carried out.