The long-term effects of open and endovascular aneurysm repair on circulating interleukin-6.

Abstract

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is associated with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) development and is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular mortality. We tested the hypothesis that aneurysm repair reduces circulating IL-6 by comparing concentrations in patients with large AAA awaiting repair (n=50) with patients having undergone open (n=34) or endovascular (n=66) repair. Only open repair was associated with a significant reduction in IL-6 (p=0.025). These results suggest that AAAs remain biologically active following endovascular repair. Aneurysm-derived IL-6 may have serious implications for cardiovascular health, and attention should be directed to modifying cardiovascular risk factors in these patients, even after successful aneurysm repair.