The diameter of the thoracic aorta is a biomarker for heart attacks and other adverse cardiovascular events in men and women.
The diameter of the thoracic aorta is a biomarker for heart attacks and other adverse cardiovascular events in men and women, according to a new study published in the journal Radiology. The aorta is a large artery that carries oxygenated blood from the heart to other parts of the body. The portion that passes through the chest, known as the thoracic aorta, is divided into an ascending aorta that arises from the left ventricle of the heart and a descending aorta in the back of the chest.
‘Larger BMI-indexed ascending and descending thoracic aortic diameters were significantly associated with an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes like stroke and death in both women and men.’
The thoracic aorta grows as we age, but the vessel size and structure changes, a phenomenon known as vascular remodeling, have a systemic nature involving hemodynamic — basic measures of cardiovascular function and blood circulation — and biological processes that are also linked to cardiovascular disease. “While enlargement of the thoracic aorta is a frequent finding in clinical practice, few longitudinal data regarding its long-term prognosis for major cardiovascular disease outcomes at the population level exist,” said senior author Maryam Kavousi M.D., Ph.D. from the Department of Epidemiology at Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Dr. Kavousi and colleagues assessed these associations in 2,178 participants from the population-based Rotterdam Study. Participants underwent multi-detector CT scans between 2003 and 2006 and were followed for 9 years, on average. Thoracic aorta diameters were indexed for body mass index (BMI).
“Our results suggest that imaging-based assessment of diameter of thoracic aorta can be considered as a risk marker for future cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. Kavousi.
In women, the greater ascending aortic diameter was associated with a 33% higher cardiovascular mortality risk. Remodeling of the aging aorta seems to be different between women and men, with faster deterioration in women.
Advertisement
The study findings suggest that cardiovascular risk assessment associated with thoracic aortic size among asymptomatic women and men could lead to effective, sex-specific prevention strategies.
Advertisement
Source: Eurekalert