Genetic and Environmental Effects on the Abdominal Aortic Diameter Development

Abstract

BackgroundConfiguration of the abdominal aorta is related to healthy aging and a variety of disorders.ObjectivesWe aimed to assess heritable and environmental effects on the abdominal aortic diameter.Methods114 adult (69 monozygotic, 45 same-sex dizygotic) twin pairs (mean age 43.6 ± 16.3 years) underwent abdominal ultrasound with Esaote MyLab 70X ultrasound machine to visualize the abdominal aorta below the level of the origin of the renal arteries and 1-3 cm above the bifurcation.ResultsAge- and sex-adjusted heritability of the abdominal aortic diameter below the level of the origin of the renal arteries was 40% [95% confidence interval (CI), 14 to 67%] and 55% above the aortic bifurcation (95% CI, 45 to 70%). None of the aortic diameters showed common environmental effects, but unshared environmental effects were responsible for 60% and 45% of the traits, respectively.ConclusionsOur analysis documents the moderate heritability and its segment-specific difference of the abdominal aortic diameter. The moderate part of variance was explained by unshared environmental components, emphasizing the importance of lifestyle factors in primary prevention. Further studies in this field may guide future gene-mapping efforts and investigate specific lifestyle factors to prevent abdominal aortic dilatation and its complications.

The TAGA Study: A Study of Factors Determining Aortic Diameter in Families at High Risk of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Reveal Two New Candidate Genes

“…We calculated heritabilities and the main genetic correlations of the aortic diameter with other clinical and anthropometric parameters. We observed that variation in the diameter of healthy abdominal aorta is strongly determined by genetic factors (34%), which is in agreement with a previous twin study that estimated heritability of abdominal aorta diameter is 40% [28]. Moreover, we show that diameter in abdominal aorta, femoral and popliteal arteries are highly genetically correlated, indicating that common genes simultaneously determine the diameter of the main arteries in the healthy population.…”

Potential influencing factors of aortic diameter at specific segments in population with cardiovascular risk

“…Aortic diameter is an important indicator of aortic dilation disease. According the studies focused on different aortic segments, there is an apparent overlap between the influencing factors of the aortic diameter and cardiovascular risk factors [ 12 , 13 , 15 ], which can also be reflected in our current research.…”

“…However, there are inconsistent views among the current studies concerning the risk factors that affect the aorta diameter. Also, the segment-specific difference in the relationship between risk factors and aortic diameter has been indicated by previous research under different experimental conditions [ 12 , 13 ]. However, related research incorporated a small number of cardiovascular indicators and evaluated fewer aorta segments.…”

Normal abdominal aorta diameter on abdominal sonography in healthy asymptomatic adults: impact of age and gender

“…Tarnoki et al studied genetic and environmental effects that influence the development of AA. They reported that the morphology of AA is related to healthy aging and the size increase during life (Tarnoki et al, 2016) Virmani et al studied the effect of aging on aortic morphology and reported that the circumference of aorta increased with age (Virmani et al, 1991). In the current study, it was observed that the high correlation between age and AP aortic diameters was strongest at the level of aortic hiatus, followed by aortic bifurcation and suprarenal level.…”