PREVALENCE OF AORTIC-ANEURYSMS IN THE TWIN-CITIES METROPOLITAN-AREA, 1979-84

The discharge summaries for Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area res idents hospitalized during 1979-84 were reviewed for diagnoses of aort ic aneurysms. Annual age-specific and age-adjusted sex-specific hospit al discharge diagnoSiS rates were calculated for all aortic aneurysms, dissecting aortic aneurysms, thoracic aortic aneurysms (nondissecting ), and abdominal aortic aneurysms (nondissecting). For each aortic ane urysm type, hospital discharge diagnosis rates were found to increase with age for both men and women. Abdominal aortic aneurysms were the m ost common type reported (age-adjusted annual rates for men varied bet ween 40.6 and 49.3 per 100,000 population; for women, between 6.8 and 12.0 per 100, 000 population). Men were noted to have higher rates for each aneurysm type. An increasing temporal trend was observed for all aortic aneurysms and abdominal aortic aneurysms among men. These find ings are reviewed in light of recent data on mortality from aortic ane urysms in the United States.