Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there are differences among clinical conditions and traditional atherosclerotic risk factors between patients with large abdominal aortic aneurysm and those with occlusive non-coronary arterial disease. Methods We clinically examined 519 patients with asymptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysm and 672 with severe obstructive arterial diseases before surgical repair. Results In patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm, we identified a clear predominance of males ( p < 0.001), more alcohol consumers ( p < 0.05), higher values of diastolic blood pressure ( p < 0.05), higher values of serum creatinine ( p < 0.005), more hyperuricemic patients ( p < 0.005) and less diabetics ( p < 0.001). In patients with occlusive atherosclerotic vasculopathies, we observed more smokers ( p < 0.05), higher systolic blood pressure and more hypertensives ( p < 0.05 respectively) and a prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia ( p < 0.05). Conclusions Patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm were mostly males with diastolic hypertension, impaired renal function and less diabetics, while patients with occlusive arteriopathy were more smokers, hypertensives and more hypertriglyceridemics.
Keywords: Abdominal aortic aneurysm; atherosclerotic risk factors; obstructive arterial diseases.