Key result
Acute aortic dissection has an estimated prevalence of 0.2% to 0.8% in autopsy series and an annual incidence of 2.5 to 7.2 cases per 100,000 in population-based studies.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Accurate epidemiological estimation of acute aortic dissection requires population-based studies that include out-of-hospital deaths, as registry data alone underestimates the true incidence.
Acute aortic dissection (AAD) is one of the most devastating cardiovascular diseases with high risk of mortality.1 Epidemiological data regarding this condition remain scanty. Indeed, the actual incidence of AAD is hard to estimate because of difficulties in diagnosis: a significant proportion of patients may die before medical contact, with low rates of autopsy confirmation. In large autopsy series,2 the prevalence of aortic dissection ranged from 0.2% to 0.8%, whereas, population-based studies estimated the annual incidence between 2.5 and 7.2 cases per 100 000.3–8 Interestingly, this incidence has continuously increased over the years. While large national registries such as those in Japan9 or Spain10 provide substantial data on the management of patients with AAD, they can only display a partial view of the whole natural history, because of the incomplete inclusion of patients deceased prior to medical assistance and diagnosis. Yet, population-based studies including death cases provide a better estimation of the actual epidemiology of AAD.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Aboyans et al. (2021) conducted an editorial in Acute aortic dissection. Acute aortic dissection has an estimated prevalence of 0.2% to 0.8% in autopsy series and an annual incidence of 2.5 to 7.2 cases per 100,000 in population-based studies.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: