European journal of vascular and endovascular surgery : the official journal of the European Society for Vascular Surgery
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Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg · Aug 2012
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyAn association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm beyond smoking: results from a case-control study.
It is currently unclear whether the parallels between abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are explained by common risk factors alone, such as cigarette smoking, or by a predetermined cause. Given the persistent controversy with regard to the association between AAA and COPD, we studied this association in depth. ⋯ This study confirms an association between AAA and COPD and shows that this association is independent from smoking. Findings also demonstrate that COPD is under-diagnosed in AAA patients.