Prevalence and Risk Factors of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms Detected with Ultrasound in Korea and Belgium

The objective was to investigate the prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) and the diameters of the aorta and common iliac arteries (CIAs) in a Korean cohort and secondly to analyze the differences in aortic diameter by comparison with a European cohort. The Korean cohort included participants ≥ 50 years who consented to AAA screening and data were analysed retrospectively. Aortic and common iliac diameters were measured using the outer-to-outer diameter method and prevalence rates were calculated. Common risk factors such as smoking, body mass index, pulmonary disease, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, ischaemic heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease were reported in association with AAA occurrence and AAA development. The aortic diameters were then compared with those in a Belgian cohort of 2487 participants identified in the Liège AAA Screening Program. An aortic size index (ASI) was also calculated to account for the potential size differences in the Belgian and Korean populations. A total of 3124 Korean participants were examined using ultrasound. The prevalence of AAAs in this cohort was 0.7%. The combined prevalence of subaneurysmal dilatation and AAA was 1.5%. The prevalence in male smokers older than 65 years was 2.7% (19/715). The mean infrarenal aortic diameter was 17.3 ± 3.1 mm in men and 15.7 ± 2.7 mm in women; the corresponding values in Belgian participants were 19.4 ± 3.0 mm in men and 17.9 ± 2.4 mm in women. The median aortic size index was 0.99 (interquartile range 0.88–1.12). The mean infrarenal aortic diameter was significantly smaller in the Korean cohort than in the Belgian cohort. Considering the observed prevalence of AAAs in different age groups, the age groups which would contribute to most cases was male persons above 66 years in both cohorts.