Abstract
BACKGROUND: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) has risk factors similar to those of atherosclerosis. Salusin-β and arterial stiffness are novel parameters that have been shown to predict atherosclerosis and related cardiovascular disorders. However, their predictive value for detecting AAA remains unclear. METHODS: Forty-eight patients with AAA and 47 age- and sex-matched participants without AAA were enrolled in the study. Arterial stiffness parameters were obtained via an oscillometric Mobil-O-Graph PWA Monitor device (IEM GmbH) with integrated ARCSolver software (Australian Institute of Technology). Plasma salusin-β levels were analyzed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay reagent kit (Abbkine, Inc). The measured salusin-β levels and arterial stiffness parameters of the AAA and control groups were compared. RESULTS: Salusin-β levels were significantly lower in patients with AAA (P = .014). There was a significant negative correlation between salusin-β levels and abdominal aorta diameter. No significant difference was detected between AAA and control groups in terms of arterial stiffness parameters (P > .05). In backward multiple regression analysis, the presence of AAA, platelet count, and augmentation index were found to be independent predictors of salusin-β levels (P = .006 and P = .023, respectively). CONCLUSION: Arterial stiffness parameters were not found to be associated with AAA. Contrary to previous results regarding atherosclerosis and related cardiovascular disorders, salusin-β levels were found to be lower in patients with AAA. Although AAA is thought to have similar risk factors as atherosclerosis, the exact pathophysiologic mechanism remains unclear.