Recently, simple renal cysts have been linked to an increased risk of aortic aneurism. In autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), there is a higher prevalence of intracranial aneurisms but little evidence regarding aortic dilation. The aim of this study was to compare aortic root and ascending aorta diameters in ADPKD patients and matched controls.

From 2008 to 2016, 61 consecutive ADPKD patients who had an echocardiography in our institution were matched 1:1 with controls non-ADPKD patients for sex, age, blood pressure (BP) and beta-blocker therapy. Paired-t tests were used for quantitative variables and McNemar tests for qualitative variables. Mean age was 56±12 years, 54% were men, 38% received beta-blocker therapy and mean systolic and diastolic BP were 135±24 and 78±16mmHg, respectively.

Aortic root diameters were significantly larger in ADPKD patients than in controls (36.4±4.1 versus 34.0±3.7mm, P<0.0001). The Campens Z-scores (normalised on sex, age and body surface area) were significantly higher in ADPKD patients both for aortic root and ascending aorta (Figure 1). Moreover, aortic aneurisms, as defined by a Z score>2 standard deviations, were present in 27 ADPKD patients (44%) versus 9 controls (15%, P<0.001).

There is an increased prevalence of aortic aneurysms in ADPKD patients, as compared with controls matched for common confounding factors for aortic dilation. Although systematic echocardiography is currently not recommended in ADPKD patients, our results strongly support echocardiographic screening for aorta aneurism and follow-up in this population.