Key result
Medical therapies fail to demonstrate clear benefit in limiting abdominal aortic aneurysm growth.
Why the study?
Effective pharmacological treatments against abdominal aortic aneurysm remain elusive, surgical repair is the only therapy for high-risk patients, and small aneurysms have no medical alternative to surveillance.
There is currently no effective pharmacological treatment to limit AAA growth, though ongoing trials of metformin and novel preclinical targets offer potential future strategies.
No proven pharmacological therapy limits AAA growth; leaves open need for novel targets and pending metformin trials.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a severe vascular disease and a major public health issue with an unmet medical need for therapy. This disease is featured by a progressive dilation of the abdominal aorta, boosted by atherosclerosis, ageing, and smoking as major risk factors. Aneurysm growth increases the risk of aortic rupture, a life-threatening emergency with high mortality rates. Despite the increasing progress in our knowledge about the etiopathology of AAA, an effective pharmacological treatment against this disorder remains elusive and surgical repair is still the unique available therapeutic approach for high-risk patients. Meanwhile, there is no medical alternative for patients with small aneurysms but close surveillance. Clinical trials assessing the efficacy of antihypertensive agents, statins, doxycycline, or anti-platelet drugs, among others, failed to demonstrate a clear benefit limiting AAA growth, while data from ongoing clinical trials addressing the benefit of metformin on aneurysm progression are eagerly awaited. Recent preclinical studies have postulated new therapeutic targets and pharmacological strategies paving the way for the implementation of future clinical studies exploring these novel therapeutic strategies. This review summarises some of the most relevant clinical and preclinical studies in search of new therapeutic approaches for AAA.
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Puertas-Umbert et al. (2023) conducted a review in Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Pharmacological therapies (e.g., statins, antihypertensives, doxycycline, metformin) was evaluated. Despite increasing knowledge of the disease, clinical trials evaluating statins, doxycycline, and antihypertensives have failed to demonstrate a clear benefit in limiting abdominal aortic aneurysm growth.
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