Diabetes and Reduced Risk for Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms and Dissections: A Nationwide Case‐Control Study

Abstract

Background--Vascular diseases are the principal causes of death and disability in people with diabetes. At the same time, studies suggest a protective role of diabetes in the development of abdominal aortic aneurysms. We sought to determine whether diabetes is associated with decreased hospitalization due to thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections (TAAD).

Thoracic aortic dissection and rupture in conotruncal cardiac defects: A population-based study

“…The other known TAD risk factors included in the model as potential confounders were age; sex; hypertension; heritable connective tissue disease (Marfan syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and osteogenesis imperfecta); Turner syndrome; inflammation of the aorta (giant cell arteritis, Takayasu arteritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, polyarteritis nodosa, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, and cardiovascular syphilis); blunt trauma; pregnancy; cocaine use; amphetamine use; atherosclerosis; lipid disorders; and diabetes [1,24,[27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43]. There is no ICD-9 code for Loeys-Dietz syndrome, so it could not be evaluated.…”

Tracing the Proteomic Fingerprint of the Diabetic Aorta?

“…7,8 However, although vascular complications remain as the principal causes of death and disability in diabetes mellitus, epidemiological evidence suggests an inverse association between diabetes mellitus and aortic aneurysms and dissections. 9,10 These findings demonstrate the multiple facets of diabetes mellitus on the vasculature, and a more holistic approach might advance our insights in the vascular risk associated with diabetes mellitus at a molecular level. 11 In this issue of the journal, Husi et al 12 report the results of a proteomics analysis of the diabetic mouse aorta.…”

Reversal of Aging‐Induced Increases in Aortic Stiffness by Targeting Cytoskeletal Protein‐Protein Interfaces

“…Increased smooth muscle tone is known to increase damping of high‐frequency energy content, which raises concerns that too much of a decrease in stress and stiffness could promote thoracic aortic aneurysm. An inverse relationship between higher vessel wall stiffness and lower risk for aneurysm has been reported56 in patients with diabetes mellitus, where there is a decreased incidence of thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissection, which is thought to be due to protective cross‐linking of structural proteins. Additional study may be warranted to test the hypothesis that excessive reduction in aortic stiffness could have the negative side effect of increasing risk for aneurysm development.…”