Diabetics are less likely to develop thoracic aortic dissection: a 10-year single-center analysis

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Endocrinology
• Vascular Surgery

Background:

• Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a known risk factor for atherosclerosis and hypertension, both linked to aortic dissection.
• Emerging evidence suggests DM influences aortic wall collagen, prompting investigation into its role in thoracic aortic dissection (TAD).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between diabetes mellitus and the prevalence of thoracic aortic dissection (TAD).

Main Methods:

• A retrospective analysis of patients diagnosed with TAD over ten years.
• Comparison of DM prevalence in Stanford type A and B TAD patients against two age- and gender-matched control groups.
• Selection of 10 controls for each diabetic dissection case from hospital records.

Main Results:

• A significantly lower prevalence of DM was observed in patients with TAD (2.3% for type A, 2.3% for type B) compared to control groups (18.4% and 8.9% for type A controls; 26.0% and 11.6% for type B controls).
• Odds ratios indicated a statistically significant inverse association between DM and TAD for both types A and B dissections (P < 0.01).

Conclusions:

• Patients diagnosed with thoracic aortic dissection (TAD) are less likely to have diabetes mellitus (DM).
• The findings suggest a potential protective effect of DM or its management against TAD, although this study identifies association, not causation.