Are women taking over aortic diseases: A study of morphological changes in surgically treated patients

Background/Aim: Aortic wall diseases requiring surgical intervention have become increasingly prevalent in recent decades. While cardiovascular diseases traditionally show a strong male predominance, less is known about the sex distribution and clinical characteristics in patients undergoing surgical treatment for aortic pathology. This study evaluated the epidemiological features, risk factors, comorbidities and histopathological findings in surgically treated aortic disease patients.Methods: Ninety-two patients who underwent thoracic aortic surgery were analysed. Demographic, clinical and morphological data were collected for each patient and statistically evaluated.Results: Atherosclerosis was the most common pathological finding in men, whereas aortic dissection predominated among women (p < 0.01). Hypertension was the most frequent comorbidity (75 %) and a positive family history was the commonest risk factor (31.5 %). Chest pain was the most prevalent presenting symptom, with significant variation in its frequency across different lesion types (p < 0.01).Conclusion: Contrary to the well-known male predominance in cardiovascular disease, this study found no significant sex predominance among patients undergoing surgical treatment for aortic disease. Aortic dissection was significantly more frequent among women in this surgically treated cohort. These findings highlight the importance of recognising sex-specific patterns in advanced aortic pathology requiring surgical management.