The Epidemiology of Aortic Diameter in China
The Epidemiology of Aortic Diameter in China
Aortic aneurysms are the major disease processes affecting the aorta and becoming a
 relatively common cause of death because of rupture or dissection. The most common location
 for aneurysms is the infrarenal abdominal aorta, followed by the ascending thoracic aorta.
 Unlike coronary heart disease, the incidence of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in the United
 States and Europe has been increasing, and this increase may not be due to higher levels of
 screening for this condition alone. Aortic diameter is central to the diagnosis of aortic
 aneurysm. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that non-AAA patients with an enlarged diameter of
 the infrarenal aortic diameter are also at high risk for all-cause mortality. And aortic root
 dimension was associated with several coronary artery disease (CHD) risk factors and measures
 of subclinical disease and was predictive of incident congestive heart failure (CHF), stroke,
 cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, and all-cause mortality, but not of incident MI. Up
 to now, there are limited studies on the epidemiology of aortic diameter, especially in
 Chinese population.
The purpose of this study was to analyze the size of the entire aorta at different anatomic
 levels in a large group of Chinese population with clinically evident arterial disease or
 cardiovascular risk factors to further explored the risk factors and potential alternative
 pathomechanisms for the development of aortic dilatation. Comprehensive transthoracic M-mode,
 2-dimensional, and Doppler echocardiographic studies will be performed using commercially
 available equipment. The aortic dimensions were assessed at end-diastole at the different
 levels: (1) the annulus, (2) the mid-point of the sinuses of Valsalva, (3) the sinotubular
 junction, (4) the ascending aorta at the level of its largest diameter, (5) the transverse
 arch, (6) the descending aorta posterior to the left atrium, and (7) the abdominal aorta just
 distal to the origin of the renal arteries. The extension of dilation is defined as the
 number of dilated aortic segments. The relations among aortic dimensions and clinical
 characteristics will be assessed by multiple regression analysis. The current study was to
 determine the association of risk factors of CVD and atherosclerosis diseases with aortic
 dimension in Chinese patients with clinical event atherosclerotic disease or risk factors of
 atherosclerotic disease.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Patients aged 40 to 100 were referred to the hospital with a recent diagnosis of
 clinically evident arterial disease or a cardiovascular risk factor.

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Those with connective tissue disease, congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathy,
 congestive heart failure,rheumatic arthritis, secondary causes of hypertension, or
 active cancer.