Thoracal, abdominal and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm

Aortic aneurysm is a complex disease affecting males and females in a different way. We analysed gender specific differences in the abdominal (AAA), thoracal (TAA) and thoraco-abdominal (TA-AA) aortic aneurysm in patients hospitalized for aortic aneurysm (AAA) in Germany.

Detailed lists for all patients suffering from AAA, TAA or TA-AA documented in the DRG-System as principal diagnosis in the years 2010 were provided by the Federal Statistical Office.

The total number of cases in males was 17,731. It was more than three time higher than in females with 4657. AAA were 6.2 time more frequent in males than in females, TAA and TA-AA only 1.6 and 1.5 times, respectively. The rates of ruptured aneurysms show a steep increase in the 9th and 10th decade which is more pronounced in females. In males there is an age dependent increase in the rate of endovascular treatment of TAA and AAA. There is no such trend in females. The rate for AAA even decreases with age. The same could be shown for more complex fenestrated or branched endoprotheses. In around 20% of all male cases with TA-AA such a design is used in the 7th to the 9th decade of life. In females such a rate is only reached in the 7th decade. In older females the rate stepwise decreased.

There are gender specific differences in the rate of rupture and endovascular treatment of AAA, TAA and TA-AA in males and females in Germany. The reasons for these differences should be elucidated in order to prove whether these differences are due to actual gender specific requirements, or simply a lack of compatibility in awareness and devices.