Are polygenic risk scores associated with aortic valve calcification beyond traditional atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk factors?
Polygenic risk scores for atherogenic lipids, systolic blood pressure, and CAD are associated with aortic valve calcification, highlighting distinct genetic pathways from coronary artery calcification.
BACKGROUND: Aortic valve calcification (AVC) is the primary process leading to aortic stenosis. We examined whether polygenic risk scores (PRS) are associated with AVC beyond traditional atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk factors. METHODS: We included 6812 participants in MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) with computed tomography-measured AVC at Visit 1. Using previously published PRS we calculated weighted PRS, standardized within each ancestry group. The cross-sectional association per 1 SD higher PRS with AVC >0 was examined using multivariable logistic regression modeling with Bonferroni correction. The mean age was 62 years old, 53% were female, and 913 (13.4%) had AVC >0 at baseline. RESULTS: 0 strongly suggests significant differences exist in the calcification pathways for AVC and coronary artery calcium.
Whelton et al. (Wed,) studied this question.