Thoracic aortic aneurysms are clinical conditions that are associated with severe clinical endpoints including dissection and rupture, potentially leading to sudden death. Contrary to their abdominal counterparts, thoracic aortic aneurysms are well-recognized to have a genetic basis underlying their development. Among all patients with aneurysmal disease who underwent clinical genetic screening in our program (N = 145), two patients were found to have variants of uncertain significance (VUS) in the PRDM5 gene. This gene is responsible for multiple regulatory functions in extracellular matrix development, and this is the first report, to our knowledge, to associate this gene with aortopathy.
Keywords: PRDM5; aortic aneurysm; aortic dissection; collagen matrix proteins; genetic basis of aortic disease.