AAA 16. Systematic Review of Prevalence of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in Asians

Abstract

Prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is well reported in Western countries and AAA screening programs are well established. However, although there are individual studies reporting that prevalence of AAA in Asians is lower, there is a relative lack of large, well-conducted studies that report the prevalence of AAA in Asians. This study aimed to synthesize available data and to report the prevalence of AAA in Asians. A systematic review was performed using two major databases (PubMed and Embase). Studies that reported prevalence of AAA in Asians were selected, and definition of AAA, method of screening, target population, and total number of patients screened were recorded. Our search yielded 261 unique articles that were screened, and 13 articles were included for this study. Another 6 studies were then included after screening the references for these 13 studies. The 19 studies that were included reported a prevalence of 0% to 6.05%, with a final pooled prevalence of 1.10% (95% confidence interval, 0.88%-1.33%). Prevalence of AAA in the general Asian population is low. However, more robust studies need to be undertaken in specific high-risk populations (patients with atherosclerotic risks factors) to accurately determine the prevalence of AAA in these patients and the possible benefit of AAA screening, especially if it is done in conjunction with other indicated investigations (such as transthoracic echocardiography).