General health survey in patients with small abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA)

Amir Arnautovic^1,2*Hanan Dalyanoglu³Luis Jaime Vallejo Castano³Waseem Garabet²Joscha Mulorz²Artis Knapsis²Sandra Düssing⁴Isabel Nahal Schellinger⁵Hubert Schelzig²Uwe Raaz⁵Mansur Duran⁶Markus Wagenhäuser^2*

• ¹Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
• ²Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, University Hospital Dusseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
• ³Department of Cardiac Surgery, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
• ⁴Department of Angiology, University Medical Center Leipzig, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
• ⁵Department of Cardiology and Pneumology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
• ⁶Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Marienhospital Gelsenkirchen, Teaching Hospital of Ruhr-University Bochum,, Gelsenkirchen, Germany

Background: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a dynamic disease characterized by a continuous diameter progression. AAA may therefore be categorized in early-stage disease (small diameter AAA) and late-stage disease (large diameter AAA). To date, there is no effective therapy for patients in early stages, resulting in disease-specific stressors. This study was designed to quantify these stressors using a specifically designed questionnaire.A self-designed 17-item questionnaire with categorical response options was distributed to patients with small AAA. The aim of the approach was to gain a deeper understanding of patients' quality of life (QoL), psychological state and attitudes towards hypothetical future treatment options.Results: 122 patients were contacted, 63 of whom consented to participate in the study. The study cohort was predominantly older than 65 years, 84% were male and 56% had been diagnosed with small-size AAA less than 1 year ago. In summary, the AAA diagnosis has a significant impact on all aspects of personal health perception, including physical, social and mental health. The overall QoL was found to be impaired compared to the situation before the AAA diagnosis for most of the respondents, and the current treatment options were considered unsatisfactory. The majority of small AAA patients surveyed would be open to new (invasive) therapies to stop disease progression.The diagnosis of AAA leads to a reduction in QoL, which impairs the physical, social and mental health, particularly affecting mental health. Patients would welcome treatment options in early stages of their disease.