Risk Factors Associated with the Diagnosis of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in Patients Screened at a Regional Veterans Affairs Health Care System

Background An active abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening program at a regional Veterans Affairs (VA) health system identifies patients at risk for AAA. The purpose of this study is to evaluate unique risk factors associated with the AAA diagnosis upon AAA screening examination to identify the most at risk patients for AAA. Methods Data were extracted from a regional VA health care system to identify patients who underwent AAA screening within a 3-year period. An aortic diameter ≥3.0 cm was defined as an AAA. Patient risk factors included age, body mass index, total cholesterol, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), statin use, and active smoking status; the presence of hypertension, diabetes, coronary artery disease (CAD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or peripheral vascular disease (PVD) was also evaluated. Risk factors were compared in a multivariate analysis between patients with AAA and patients with a normal aorta. Results A total of 6,142 patients (mean ± SD age: 72.7 ± 5.3 years) were screened for AAA between January 2007 and December 2009. A total of 469 patients (7.6%) with AAA were identified. The following risk factors were significantly associated with a diagnosis of AAA: age >75 years (39.6% vs. 28.9%; P