Familial abdominal aortic aneurysms in the Otago region of New Zealand.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the familial incidence and phenotypic characteristics of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) in the Otago region of New Zealand.


METHODS
A retrospective audit based pilot study and a prospective study of patients having abdominal aortic aneurysm repair from September 1988 to September 1999 was performed.


RESULTS
248 probands were enrolled, of which 19.4% had one or more first degree relative affected. The age at diagnosis of the familial (70.2) and non-familial (70.5) patients was similar. The proportion of females was increased in the familial subgroup. Hypercholesterolaemia was the only phenotypic feature to differentiate familial from non-familial patients and was associated with an earlier age of presentation. In the familial families, brothers were the most common relative affected and 77% of the families had two patients with AAA.


CONCLUSIONS
19.4% of patients operated on in the Otago area for AAA had a familial component to their aneurysm.
Rossaak
J I
JI
Department of Surgery, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 913, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Hill
T M
TM
Jones
G T
GT
Phillips
L V
LV
Harris
E L
EL
van Rij
A M
AM
D017677:Age Distribution; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000150:complications; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D010375:Pedigree; D010641:Phenotype; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution