Coronary Artery Disease as a Relevant Risk Factor in Screening of Abdominal Aortic Ectasia and Aneurysm

Background The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and abdominal aortic ectasia (AAE) in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients in a multicenter setting to obtain significant data to establish an AAA screening program in our departments. Methods Between January and September 2016, 500 patients with suspected or diagnosed CAD planned for coronary angiography or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) underwent a sonographic examination of the infrarenal abdominal aorta to diagnose AAA or AAE. We calculated the prevalence of AAA and AAE in patients diagnosed of CAD and investigated factors potentially associated with the occurrence of AAA. Results The overall prevalence in all grades of CAD for AAE was 35.1% and for AAA 5.4%. In patients with three-vessel CAD, the prevalence of AAE was 34% and of AAA 6.8%. Significant correlation was found between the three-vessel CAD and AAA ( p = 0.039). The logistic regression analysis showed significant correlation between AAA and age > 65 years ( p = 0.05). The multivariate analysis of risk factors and CAD revealed significant correlations between one-vessel CAD and arterial hypertension (AH) ( p = 0.004) and age > 65 years ( p = 0.001) as well as between three-vessel CAD and AH ( p = 0.01), peripheral artery disease ( p = 0.01), and age > 65 years ( p = 0.03). Conclusion Our results confirm, that in comparison to other data, the prevalence of AAA in patients with CAD is high. Thus, it is recommended to include patients with CAD, especially elderly patients with three-vessel CAD, in future AAA screening programs.