Gaining new insights into early abdominal aortic aneurysm disease.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) disease is a prevalent and highly morbid condition among older people in the US. There are currently no proven methods for reducing or eliminating enlargement in smaller preclinical aneurysms. Given their relatively slow increase in diameter (typically <0.4 cm/year), these smaller aneurysms offer a valuable window into the underlying pathophysiology of AAA disease. Through a Vascular Remodeling Specialized Center of Clinically Oriented Research program funded by the National Institutes of Health, we have established, in conjunction with Northern California Kaiser Permanente, a multidisciplinary research effort to efficiently identify and handicap suppressive therapeutic strategies for early AAA disease.