Aortic valve sclerosis is associated with preclinical cardiovascular disease in hypertensive adults: the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network study.
BACKGROUND
Aortic valve sclerosis (AVS) has been associated with atherosclerosis and increased all-cause and cardiovascular death. However, whether AVS is associated with preclinical cardiovascular disease among adults at high risk because of hypertension has not been determined in a population-based sample.


RESULTS
Clinical and echocardiographic parameters were measured in 1624 hypertensive participants (54 +/- 11 years, 65% women, 63% black, 17% diabetic, 19% smokers) without significant valvular or cardiovascular diseases in the population-based Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network study. The 152 participants with AVS (9.4%), compared with participants without AVS, were older, more often white, male, treated for hypertension or hypercholesteromia (all P < 0.05) and had longer duration and worse hypertension, but did not differ in diabetes status, smoking or fenfluramine use. Adjusting for age, gender and race, the AVS group had higher total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (P < 0.05). Controlling for age, gender, race and other clinical covariates, AVS was independently associated with higher septal, posterior and relative wall thicknesses, isovolumic relaxation time and left atrial diameter, and with mild aortic regurgitation and mitral annular calcification (all P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
In a population-based sample of hypertensive adults, AVS was prevalent (9.4%) and associated with a proatherogenic clinical profile and abnormal left ventricular geometry and filling, increased left atrial size and mitral annular calcification, which may contribute to the adverse prognosis associated with AVS.
Agno
Felizen S
FS
Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA.
Chinali
Marcello
M
Bella
Jonathan N
JN
Liu
Jennifer E
JE
Arnett
Donna K
DK
Kitzman
Dalane W
DW
Oberman
Albert
A
Hopkins
Paul N
PN
Rao
Dabeeru C
DC
Devereux
Richard B
RB
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology