Gene Therapy to Treat Aortic Aneurysms

Abstract

Diseases of the aorta, primarily aneurysms and dissections, are the 14th leading cause of death in the United States.1 Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are responsible for >80% of all aortic aneurysms, with >100 000 AAA repairs performed in the US between 1988 and 2000.2 The risk factor profile of patients with AAAs has been well described. This is a disease primarily of older adults, with white men much more likely to harbor an AAA than are black women. Other risk factors for developing an AAA include cigarette smoking, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and a family history of aortic aneurysms. Atherosclerosis in other vascular beds also puts the patient at increased risk for the development of an aortic aneurysm. See p 1008 During the past 20 years, an explosion of information on the pathogenesis of aortic aneurysms has been generated.3,4 Much of this basic science work has been descriptive and performed by surgeons, who are the primary managers of the treatment of patients with AAAs. This occurred at least partially because there is no proven medical therapy to inhibit aortic aneurysms from forming or slowing their growth once a small AAA has been recognized. Therefore, the management of AAAs is surgical, with …