Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) is a silent killer and an important cause of sudden death in older people for which there is currently no drug treatment. The condition kills about one thousand Australians every year without warning through a weakening and widening of the main abdominal artery, which upon rupture often results in death. To date, no medication has been found to effectively treat the condition with surgery the only option. QRCPVD researchers have joined an international effort to find an effective therapy to treat the age related degenerative disease, which is present in five per cent of men and one percent of women over the age of 65.
Professor Golledge and Dr Corey Moran along with other members of the QRCPVD team are participating in an international trial to examine the potential of Telmisartan, a drug used to combat high blood pressure, to treat patients with AAA. QRCPVD has also published research investigating the impact of anti-coagulants on inhibiting the growth of aortic aneurysm in animal models.
The team found that the anti-coagulant reduced the severity of aneurysm in mice, suggesting the inhibition of coagulation factor FXa/Flla may be a potential therapy for limiting AAA.
