Asthma associates with human abdominal aortic aneurysm and rupture

Cong Lin Liu, Holger Wemmelund, Yi Wang, Mengyang Liao, Jes S. Lindholt, Søren P. Johnsen, Henrik Vestergaard, Cleverson Fernandes, Galina K. Sukhova, Xiang Cheng, Jin Ying Zhang, Chongzhe Yang, Xiaozhu Huang, Alan Daugherty, Bruce D. Levy, Peter Libby, Guo Ping Shi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective - Both asthma and abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) involve inflammation. It remains unknown whether these diseases interact. Approach and Results - Databases analyzed included Danish National Registry of Patients, a population-based nationwide case-control study included all patients with ruptured AAA and age- and sex-matched AAA controls without rupture in Denmark from 1996 to 2012; Viborg vascular trial, subgroup study of participants from the population-based randomized Viborg vascular screening trial. Patients with asthma were categorized by hospital diagnosis, bronchodilator use, and the recorded use of other anti-asthma prescription medications. Logistic regression models were fitted to determine whether asthma associated with the risk of ruptured AAA in Danish National Registry of Patients and an independent risk of having an AAA at screening in the Viborg vascular trial. From the Danish National Registry of Patients study, asthma diagnosed <1 year or 6 months before the index date increased the risk of AAA rupture before (odds ratio [OR]=1.60-2.12) and after (OR=1.51-2.06) adjusting for AAA comorbidities. Use of bronchodilators elevated the risk of AAA rupture from ever use to within 90 days from the index date, before (OR=1.10-1.37) and after (OR=1.10-1.31) adjustment. Patients prescribed anti-asthma drugs also showed an increased risk of rupture before (OR=1.12-1.79) and after (OR=1.09-1.48) the same adjustment. In Viborg vascular trial, anti-asthmatic medication use associated with increased risk of AAA before (OR=1.45) or after adjustment for smoking (OR=1.45) or other risk factors (OR=1.46). Conclusions - Recent active asthma increased risk of AAA and ruptured AAA. These findings document and furnish novel links between airway disease and AAA, 2 common diseases that share inflammatory aspects.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)570-578
Number of pages9
JournalArteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology
Volume36
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1 2016

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

Funding

We thank Henriette Lindholt for technical assistance and Chelsea Swallom for editorial assistance. Sources of Funding This study is supported by the mid region of Denmark and the European Commission Seventh Framework Programme, Health–2007–2.4.2–2 agreement number 200647 (J.S. Lindholt); the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81300176, C. Yang), and by grants from the National Institutes of Health grants HL81090, HL123568 (G.-P. Shi), HL48743, HL080472 (P. Libby), and HL122531 (B.D. Levy).

FundersFunder number
National Institutes of Health (NIH)R01HL060942, HL81090, HL080472, R01HL122531, R01HL123568
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)P01HL048743
Seventh Framework Programme200647
National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)81300176

    Keywords

    • abdominal aortic aneurysm
    • aortic rupture
    • asthma
    • inflammation
    • risk factor

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

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