Effect of FluoRoquinolones on Aortic Growth, aortic stIffness and wave refLEctionS (FRAGILES study)

Background: The widespread use of fluoroquinolones has been associated with the formation, dissection, and rupture of aortic aneurysms. Arterial biomarkers are established predictors of cardiovascular events. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of quinolones on arterial stiffness and aortic size for the first time. Methods: We studied 28 subjects receiving short-term (<15 days) antibiotic therapy involving quinolones and 27 age- and sex-matched subjects receiving an alternative to quinolone antibiotics. The follow-up period was approximately 2 months. The study’s primary endpoint was the carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) difference between the two groups 2 months after therapy initiation. Secondary endpoints were the augmentation index corrected for heart rate (AIx@75) and sonographically assessed aortic diameters 2 months after the initial treatment. Results: Subjects had similar values of arterial biomarkers, blood pressure measurements, and aortic diameters at baseline. At follow-up, no significant change was observed between the two groups regarding the hemodynamic parameters and arterial biomarkers (p > 0.05 for all), i.e., cfPWV (7.9 ± 2.6 m/s for the control group vs. 8.1 ± 2.4 m/s for the fluoroquinolones group; p = 0.79), AIx@75 (22.6 ± 9.0% for the control group vs. 26.6 ± 8.1% for the fluoroquinolones group; p = 0.09), and aortic diameters. Conclusions: To our knowledge, FRAGILES is the first study to provide insights into the possible effects of fluoroquinolones on arterial biomarkers, showing that, at least in the short term, treatment with fluoroquinolones does not affect aortic function and diameter.