DOES IMMUNITY PLAY A ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ABDOMINAL AORTIC-ANEURYSMS

It has been postulated that immune mechanisms may be involved in the p athogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). To test this hypothe sis, tissue was taken from the walls of AAAs in patients undergoing co rrective surgery and, with a view to comparison, from the aortic walls of patients undergoing bypass surgery, and assayed for the presence o r absence of immune complexes. Blood was also taken from each group an d tested for complement activity, complement activation products, and autoantibodies to smooth muscle and mitochondria. No evidence was foun d of immune response in either group of patients. It would seem that t he immune response has no role in the development of AAA or occlusive disease of the adbominal aorta.