Older Fibromuscular Dysplasia Patients Fared Better

A US registry for fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) revealed that patients with multifocal FMD diagnosed at an older age may have a more benign phenotype. For a total of 1016 patients included in the analysis as of December 15, 2016, 170 (16.7%) were 65 years or older at the time of diagnosis. Older patients with FMD were more likely to be asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis (4.2% vs 1.4%). Headache and pulsatile tinnitus, both common manifestations of FMD, were less common in older patients (40.5% vs 69.1% and 30% vs 44.6%, respectively). Extracranial carotid arteries were more commonly involved in older patients at time of diagnosis (87% vs 79.4%). older patients were less likely to have had a major vascular event (37.1% vs 46.1%) and fewer had undergone a therapeutic vascular procedure (18.5% vs 33.1%). FMD is a nonatherosclerotic arterial disease that predominately affects women, it can affect all age groups and is most commonly diagnosed in middle age. Renal and carotid/vertebral arteries are most commonly involved. Source: https://jamanetwork.com/