Atherosclerosis is a major cause of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and up to 80% of AAA patients have atherosclerosis. Therefore it is critical to understand the relationship and interactions between atherosclerosis and AAA to treat atherosclerotic aneurysm patients more effectively. In this paper, we develop a mathematical model to mimic the progression of atherosclerotic aneurysms by including both the multi-layer structured arterial wall and the pathophysiology of atherosclerotic aneurysms. The model is given by a system of partial differential equations with free boundaries. Our results reveal a 2D biomarker, the cholesterol ratio and DDR1 level, assessing the risk of atherosclerotic aneurysms. The efficacy of different treatment plans is also explored via our model and suggests that the dosage of anti-cholesterol drugs is significant to slow down the progression of atherosclerotic aneurysms while the additional anti-DDR1 injection can further reduce the risk.
Keywords: anti-DDR1 injection; anti-cholesterol drugs; atherosclerotic aneurysms; cholesterol ratio and DDR1 level; free boundaries; mathematical model.