Aneurysms of the abdominal aorta: familial and genetic aspects in three hundred thirteen pedigrees.

peer reviewed ; PURPOSE: Familial clustering of abdominal aortic aneurysm was first noticed in 1977. METHODS: Through questionnaire and phone inquiry, familial data on 324 probands with abdominal aortic aneurysms allowed the establishment of 313 multigenerational pedigrees including 39 with multiple affected patients. RESULTS: There were 276 sporadic cases (264 men, 12 women); 81 cases belonged to multiplex pedigrees (76 men; 5 women). We compared familial and sporadic male cases; the ages at diagnosis were 64.1 +/- 7.9 years and 66.0 +/- 7.3 years (p < 0.05), respectively, the ages at rupt... Mehr ...