Pseudoexfoliation and aortic aneurysm: a long-term follow-up study

Purpose To study the relationship between pseudoexfoliation (PEX) and aortic aneurysm in a population with a high prevalence of PEX. Methods Survival analyses were performed in a cohort of 735 residents aged 65-74 years, examined in a population survey in the municipality of Tierp, Sweden, 1984-1986. To expand the sample size, 1040 people were recruited by means of glaucoma case records established at the Eye Department in Tierp in 1978-2007. In this way, the cohort comprised 1775 subjects, representing more than 25 400 person-years at risk. Medical records and autopsy reports were reviewed to identify subjects diagnosed with aneurysm. Those with a follow-up time shorter than 1 year were excluded. Results By the end of the study in September 2017, 60 new cases of aortic aneurysm had been found. Of these cases, 23% (14 subjects) were affected by PEX at baseline, compared with 28% among subjects without aneurysm. No association between PEX and aortic aneurysm was found (hazard ratio 0.97; 95% confidence interval 0.53-1.77). Conclusion In this population-based study, we were unable to verify a relationship between PEX and the development of aortic aneurysm.