Role of biochemical markers in the diagnosis and treatment of an aneurysm of the abdominal aorta

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a common degenerative disease of the abdominal aorta. Elective surgical or endovascular treatment is recommended on the basis of anatomical characteristics and the individual’s risk of rupture related to AAA diameter. However, the natural history of AAA differs between patients, and specific individual predictors of AAA growth rate have not yet been established. Biomarkers could fill a gap in clinical practice, particularly in the assessment of risk of rupture, more realistically as part of a group of diagnostic tools rather than the sole defining test. In the future, multiple biomarkers can be incorporated into a clinical scoring system taking into account other known risk factors, such as old age, male sex, smoking status, blood pressure and dyslipidaemia, to evaluate the biological activity of the aortic wall for prediction of AAA progression.