Abstract Background Studies have reported that Acute Stanford type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) is associated with hypoxia and inflammation. This study aims to explore the levels of HIF-1α and IL-6 in the serum of patients with ATAAD, and to analyze the association between these two factors as well as their potential clinical significance. Methods Serum samples were collected from 82 ATAAD patients and 19 healthy controls. Subsequently, the levels of HIF-1α and IL-6 in the serum of these samples were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results The results showed that the serum HIF-1α level in patients with ATAAD were significantly reduced compared with the healthy control group [10.72 (7.28,14.92) vs. 19.54 ± 8.07 pg/mL, p