What is the prevalence and what are the determinants of dilated ascending aorta in a middle-aged Swedish population?
Dilated ascending aorta has a prevalence of 1.4% in a middle-aged Swedish population and is associated with male gender, aortic valve pathology, and higher blood pressure, but not atherosclerosis.
Aims: Dilation of the ascending aorta (AA) is often asymptomatic until a life-threatening dissection or rupture occurs. An overall increase in the use of thoracic imaging has enabled early and sometimes incidental identification of AA dilation. Still, the prevalence and determinants of AA dilation remain to be clarified. The aim was to identify and characterize persons with AA dilation in a middle-aged Swedish population. Methods and results: = 5058, age 50-65 years) to identify cases with AA diameter ≥ 40 mm on coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) or chest computed tomography. Age- and gender-matched individuals with AA diameter 10 m/s) levels were more common in cases (33% vs. 17%). Neither CAC scores nor prevalence or burden of atherosclerosis in coronary and carotid arteries differed between groups. Conclusion: The prevalence of dilated AA was 1.4% and showed positive associations with male gender, aortic valve pathology, and diastolic BP, though not with subclinical atherosclerosis.
Swahn et al. (2023) studied this question.
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