title: The impact of gender on cardiovascular system calcification in very elderly patients with severe aortic stenosis.
abstract: There is an established sex difference in cardiovascular disease among pre-menopausal women and age-matched men, with men having greater susceptibility to cardiovascular and coronary artery disease. Cardiovascular calcification may be linked to the atherosclerotic process and resulting disease, but the sex difference regarding coronary artery disease susceptibility and calcification is incompletely understood. We thought to measure calcium volume in different chest vascular beds in very elderly men and women with severe aortic stenosis (AS). Computed tomography scans of 94 patients with severe AS were calcium volume scored on Aquarius iNtuition Terarecon (Terarecon Inc., CA, USA) work stations. Coronary beds, aortic valve, mitral valve apparatus, and the thoracic aorta were examined. A significant sex difference in the mean total calcium volume of the coronary arteries was found in elderly (p = 0.001), with men having greater levels of calcification. There is also a significant sex difference in the amount of aortic valve calcium (p = 0.003). Furthermore, aortic and coronary calcification was independently correlated with sex. This study demonstrates a significant sex impact on calcification in the coronary beds and aortic valve in elderly patients with severe AS.
authors: Department of Biochemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.|Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
authors: Luckmini
authors: L
authors: Liyanage
authors: Cardiovascular Imaging, Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
authors: Nam Ju
authors: NJ
authors: Lee
authors: Cardiovascular Imaging, Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
authors: Tessa
authors: T
authors: Cook
authors: Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
authors: Howard C
authors: HC
authors: Herrmann
authors: Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
authors: Dinesh
authors: D
authors: Jagasia
authors: Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.|Cardiovascular Imaging, Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
authors: Harold
authors: H
authors: Litt
authors: Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA. yuchi.han@uphs.upenn.edu.
authors: Yuchi
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7582-1848
authors: Y
authors: Han
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001027:Aortography / Q000379:methods; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D015588:Observer Variation; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D061205:Vascular Calcification / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging
keywords: Aortic stenosis; Aortic valve; Calcium; Computed tomography; Coronary; Sex differences