Gene therapy to treat aortic aneurysms: right goal, wrong strategy.

Diseases of the aorta, primarily aneurysms and dissections, are the 14th leading cause of death in the United States.1 Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are responsible for 80% of all aortic aneurysms, with 100 000 AAA repairs performed in the US between 1988 and 2000.2 The risk factor profile of patients with AAAs has been well described. This is a disease primarily of older adults, with white men much more likely to harbor an AAA than are black women. Other risk factors for developing an AAA include cigarette smoking, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and a family history of aortic aneurysms. Atherosclerosis in other vascular beds also puts the patient at increased risk for the development of an aortic aneurysm.