Calcific aortic valve disease is recognized as an active process driven by chronic inflammation, lipoprotein deposition, and specific cell-signaling pathways and genetic factors.
BACKGROUND: Over the past 10 to 15 years, calcific aortic valve disease, which includes aortic sclerosis and aortic stenosis, has come to be recognized as an active process, based on: (1) epidemiologic studies demonstrating associations of specific risk factors with increased prevalence or rate of progression of aortic valve disease; (2) identification, in valve lesions, of histopathologic features of chronic inflammation, lipoprotein deposition, renin-angiotensin system components, and molecular mediators of calcification; and (3) identification of cell-signaling pathways and genetic factors that may participate in valve disease pathogenesis. These studies will be reviewed and organized into a proposed global hypothesis for the pathogenesis of calcific aortic valve disease.
Kevin D. O’Brien (Fri,) conducted a review in Calcific aortic valve disease. Calcific aortic valve disease is recognized as an active process driven by chronic inflammation, lipoprotein deposition, and specific cell-signaling pathways and genetic factors.