The prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) differs considerably between the sexes, illustrated by the male/female ratio 4-6:1. Women are also reported to have a higher risk of rupture, and a poorer outcome compared with men. The primary aim of this study was to investigate if women with AAA have a different reproductive history compared with other women. The secondary aim was to study if women with a larger AAA differ in their reproductive history from women with a smaller AAA.
This case-control study was performed in October 2009 and included 140 consecutively monitored women with AAA and 140 with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) at the Department of Vascular Surgery at Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm. AAA was defined as AAA diameter >3 cm, and women with AAA were subdivided into groups with AAA diameter =5 cm and diameter