The Prevalence, Incidence, Progression, and Risks of Aortic Valve Sclerosis

Objectives The aim of this study was to comprehensively review the epidemiology of aortic sclerosis (ASc) and its association with cardiovascular events. Background ASc, which is defined as thickening or calcification of the aortic valve without significant obstruction of blood flow, is a common fin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2014-07, Vol.63 (25), p.2852-2861
Main Authors: Coffey, Sean, MBBS, Cox, Brian, PhD, Williams, Michael J.A., MD
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
aortic valve sclerosis
aortic valve stenosis
Cardiology
Cardiovascular
Cardiovascular disease
Cholesterol
Coronary vessels
Drug therapy
epidemiology
Heart attacks
heart valve diseases
Internal Medicine
meta-analysis
Mortality
systematic review
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Summary:Objectives The aim of this study was to comprehensively review the epidemiology of aortic sclerosis (ASc) and its association with cardiovascular events. Background ASc, which is defined as thickening or calcification of the aortic valve without significant obstruction of blood flow, is a common finding on cardiac imaging. Methods We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE from inception to April 2013 for studies describing the epidemiology of ASc and performed a meta-analysis of the risk of adverse events using a random effects model. Results Twenty-two studies were identified from the systematic review. The prevalence of ASc increased in proportion to the average age of study participants, ranging from 9% in a study in which the mean age was 54 years to 42% in a study in which the mean age was 81 years. In total, 1.8% to 1.9% of participants with ASc had progression to clinical aortic stenosis per year. There was a 68% increased risk of coronary events in subjects with ASc (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.68; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.31 to 2.15), a 27% increased risk of stroke (HR: 1.27; 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.60), a 69% increased risk of cardiovascular mortality (HR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.32 to 2.15), and a 36% increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.17 to 1.59). Conclusions ASc is a common finding that is more prevalent with older age. Despite low rates of progression to ASc, there is an independent increase in morbidity and mortality associated with the condition.
ISSN:0735-1097
1558-3597
DOI:10.1016/j.jacc.2014.04.018