Biomarkers for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms From a Sex Perspective

The higher levels of MMP-9 in women compared with men with equally large AAAs could suggest that MMP-9 is a biomarker related to the sex differences in aneurysm development. The lower levels of estradiol in women with AAAs compared with men suggest that the possible protective effect of endogenous estrogen cannot be explained by a difference in circulating levels of estradiol.