Decreasing aortic diameter and decreasing prevalence of infrarenal aortic aneurysms in a population-based screening...

Temporal trends of infrarenal aortic diameters and their association with long-term mortality were explored in a population-based abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening programme. Additionally, changes in risk factor distribution and outcomes among the individuals with an AAA were analysed over the 14-year study period.

In this population-based cohort study between 2010 and 2023, all 65-year-old men who had been invited to screening for AAA were studied (152 000). Aortic diameter and date of death were extracted from the regional screening database.

Some 117 120 men were examined, with reductions in mean(s.d.) aortic diameter (18.6(3.3) mm to 18.1(2.8) mm) and AAA prevalence (1.32% to 0.69%). The prevalence of small aortas (<17 mm) was 18.5% and that of subaneurysmal aortas (25-29 mm) was 1.1%. Initial aortic diameter showed a non-linear association with mortality (P < 0.001). The 5-year mortality was 3.8% for men with a normal aorta, 5.5% for men with a small aorta, 8.1% for men with a subaneurysmal aorta, and 9.5% for men with an AAA. The incidence of non-smoking men with an AAA remained constant, while a decline in the number of men with a smoking history was observed. Smoking cessation influenced timing of surgery and survival, with a 5-year mortality of 11.1% in current smokers versus 5.6% in non-smokers.

There has been a decline in the prevalence of AAA and subaneurysmal aortas, and a slight rise in men with small aortas. Men with small or aneurysmatic aortas are at 1.5-2.5 times higher risk of mortality at 5 years compared with men with normal diameters. Smoking cessation halts the progression to AAA surgery and is associated with reduced mortality.