What are the Prevalence of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases and the Characteristics of These Patients?/Kronik Obstruktif Akciger Hastaliginda Abdominal Aort Anevrizmasi Prevelansi ve Hastalarin Ozellikleri Nelerdir?

Objective: To determine the prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and to assess the characteristics of these patients. Materials and Methods: Stable COPD patients (age, >40 years) were included in the study between January 2014 and June 2014. Patients with acute exacerbations and a previous lung resection were excluded. Data regarding demographic characteristics were recorded. The modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale was used to assess the severity of breathlessness. The COPD Assessment Test (CAT) was performed. Abdominal aortic diameter was measured using abdominal ultrasonography (AUS), and AAA was diagnosed as an aortic diameter of >30 mm at the renal artery level. Results: In total, 82 patients were examined. AAA was detected in five (6.1%) patients. Diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and coronary artery disease were present in four patients with AAA. The average mMRC score was 3.2 [+ or -] 0.4, and the mean CAT score was 18.4 [+ or -] 6.0. Aneurysmal diameter was >50 mm in four patients and 37 mm in one patient. Statistically significant differences were found between patient with AAA and those without AAA with respect to the mean abdominal aortic diameters at the renal artery and iliac artery levels (p=0.012 and 0.002, respectively). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that AAA is associated with COPD, with a prevalence rate of 6.1%. AAA is usually asymptomatic until a clinical status of rupture, which is associated with a higher mortality risk. Early diagnosis of AAA is lifesaving. In COPD patients, AAA might be easily determined using AUS, which is a noninvasive and relatively cheap procedure. Keywords: Aortic aneurysm, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ultrasonography Amac: Kronik obstruktif akciger hastaligi (KOAH) olan hastalarda abdominal aort anevrizmasi (AAA) sikliginin ve hasta ozelliklerinin degerlendirilmesi. Gerec ve Yontem: Ocak ve Haziran 2014 tarihleri arasinda basvuran, stabil donemdeki KOAH hastalari (>40 yas) calismaya alindi. Akut alevlenme doneminde olan veya gecmiste akciger rezeksiyonu olan hastalar calisma disi birakildi. Demografik veriler kaydedildi. Dispne siddetini degerlendirmek icin modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) skalasi, semptomlar icin ise COPD Assessment Test (CAT) kullanildi. Abdominal Ultrasonografi (AUS) ile olculen abdominal aort capi renal arter seviyesinde [greater than or equal to] 30 mm ise AAA tanisi kondu. Bulgul