
As established in international guidelines, aortic valve sclerosis (AVS) is defined as an increased thickness and hardening of the aortic leaflets with no commissural fusion 1. One of the pioneers in the study of aortic sclerosis was Catherine Otto, who conducted several studies on this topic and verified the association between AVS and various adverse cardiovascular events. Her studies are still used as reference in current research regarding the association between AVS and coronary artery disease (CAD)2. Though the mechanism that verifies the association between AVS and the development of CAD is not completely clear, most single- and multi-center international studies support the existence of this association, warn of the dangers of this association, and encourage frequent follow-up once the diagnosis is made. In the study by Conte et al.3, AVS echocardiograms of patients who reported chest pain were used to predict obstructive coronary disease. This method achieved a sensitivity of 38% and a specificity of 86%; the stress echocardiogram has a sensitivity of 67% and a specificity of 72% for the diagnosis of coronary heart disease. Thus, Conte et al. proved that the mere presence of AVS can be a marker for cardiovascular risk. A cross-sectional study by Marmelo et al.1, which included 2,493 individuals, compared AVS patients and non-AVS patients and verified a significant increase in the association between AVS and hypertension, diabetes, history of smoking, heart failure, left ventricular dysfunction, and acute myocardial infarction. Because this was a cross-sectional study in which the multivariate analysis did not produce significant results, the authors suggested future longitudinal studies with multivariate analyses. This way, greater statistical validation of the association between the variables can be achieved. Sincerely, Felipe C. Marmelo
Heart Defects, Congenital, Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Sclerosis, Fatores de risco, Heart Valve Diseases/physiopathology, Heart Valve Diseases, Coronary Artery Disease, Doppler Echocardiography, Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease, Doença da Artéria Coronariana, Cardiovascular Diseases, Risk Factors, RC666-701, Aortic Valve, Ecocardiografia Doppler, Diseases of the circulatory (Cardiovascular) system, Humans, Letter to the Editor, Doenças das valvas cardíacas/fisiopatologia
Heart Defects, Congenital, Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Sclerosis, Fatores de risco, Heart Valve Diseases/physiopathology, Heart Valve Diseases, Coronary Artery Disease, Doppler Echocardiography, Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease, Doença da Artéria Coronariana, Cardiovascular Diseases, Risk Factors, RC666-701, Aortic Valve, Ecocardiografia Doppler, Diseases of the circulatory (Cardiovascular) system, Humans, Letter to the Editor, Doenças das valvas cardíacas/fisiopatologia
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