The Role of Type III Collagen in Family Members of Patients with Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

AbstractObjectives: type III collagen is responsible for the tensile strength of the aorta-wall. To determine if genetic defect in the type III collagen production is associated with familial clustering of AAA. Methods: fifty-six patients with AAA and 82 first-degree family members participated. The medical and family histories were obtained. All these relatives were screened by ultrasound for AAA. In 58 relatives of 20 families, skin biopsies were taken for protein analysis to measure type III collagen production in cultured fibroblasts. Results: only one new AAA was detected in a brother of a patient. Four other relatives were already known with AAA. Three AAA patients had a type III collagen deficiency, but type III collagen was normal in all family members. Conclusion: type III collagen deficiency does not appear to be an aetiological factor in the development of AAA