Do Familial Aortic Dissections Tend to Occur at the Same Age?

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Genetics
• Medical Genetics
• Aortic Diseases

Background:

• Predicting age at aortic dissection in family members aids early detection and management.
• This study investigated age clustering of aortic dissections within families.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if aortic dissections cluster by age in family members of patients.
• To assess the relationship between ages of dissection in familial cases.

Main Methods:

• Examined ages at dissection in 51 sporadic and 39 familial dissectors from 16 families.
• Utilized linear regression and clustering analysis to compare ages and identify relationships.

Main Results:

• Familial dissections occurred significantly earlier (54.1 years) than sporadic dissections (63.1 years).
• A moderate linear fit (R² = 0.35) was found between family members' ages at dissection.
• Age at onset of familial dissections clustered, with over 50% occurring within 10 years of the median onset age.

Conclusions:

• Familial aortic dissections manifest earlier and cluster by age, unlike sporadic cases.
• Age at onset in one family member can predict dissection age in others.
• Prophylactic aneurysm resection should be considered for family members nearing the age of prior dissection onset.