Sex Differences in Temporal Trends and Risk Factors of Aortic Dissection in Taiwan

BACKGROUND: Although sex differences in the epidemiological features of aortic dissection (AD) are known, whether there were sex differences in the associations of comorbidities and risk factors with AD is unclear. We evaluated the temporal trends and risk factors of AD by sex. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using claims data from a universal health insurance program linked to the National Death Registry in Taiwan, we identified 16 368 men and 7052 women with newly diagnosed AD from 2005 to 2018. In the case-control analysis, a matched control group without AD was selected for men and women separately. Conditional logistic regression was used to evaluate risk factors of AD and sex differences. Over the 14 years, the annual incidence of diagnosed AD was 12.69 and 5.34 per 100 000 in men and women, respectively. The 30-day mortality was greater in women than in men (18.1% versus 14.1%; adjusted odds ratio [95% CI], 1.19 [1.10–1.29]), and the sex difference was observed mainly in patients not treated with surgery. The 30-day mortality declined over time in male patients undergoing surgical treatments, but no significantly temporal change was found in other patient groups stratified by sex and surgery. After multivariable adjustments, atrial fibrillation, chronic kidney disease, and coronary artery bypass graft surgery were associated with a greater increase in the odds of AD occurrence in women than in men. CONCLUSIONS: Greater 30-day mortality and stronger associations of atrial fibrillation, chronic kidney disease, and coronary artery bypass graft surgery with AD in women than in men require further attention.