What is the main cause of aortic stenosis as in older patients?

In most elderly adults, aortic stenosis is caused by a build-up of calcium (a mineral found in your blood) on the valve leaflets. Over time, this causes the leaflets to become stiff, reducing their ability to fully open and close.

How long can you live with a calcified aorta?

“Once patients with severe aortic stenosis develop symptoms related to their valve disease, these patients have a survival rate as low as 50% at 2 years and 20% at 5 years without aortic valve replacement.”

How serious is calcification of the aortic valve?

Aortic valve calcification is a condition in which calcium deposits form on the aortic valve in the heart. These deposits can cause narrowing at the opening of the aortic valve. This narrowing can become severe enough to reduce blood flow through the aortic valve — a condition called aortic valve stenosis.

How is aortic stenosis treated in elderly patients?

Surgical treatment of severe aortic stenosis offers good early and long-term results, even in elderly patients. Despite the implementation of percutaneous methods for the very high-risk group, surgical valve replacement remains the gold standard.

What causes calcific aortic stenosis?

Aortic stenosis mainly occurs due to the buildup of calcium deposits that narrow the valve. This is called calcific aortic stenosis. The problem mostly affects older people. Calcium buildup of the valve happens sooner in people who are born with abnormal aortic or bicuspid valves.

What causes calcification of the aorta?

Non-genetic risk factors for aortic valve calcification include advancing age, high blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol levels and smoking. Men are at higher risk than women.

How long can a 90 year old live with severe aortic stenosis?

The average survival rate after the onset of congestive heart failure in geriatric patients with severe aortic stenosis is 1.5 years. We report 2 cases of severe symptomatic aortic stenosis that defied the usual course of this disease in very old patients (age, 90+ yr).

How do you get rid of aortic calcification?

Currently no clinical therapy is available to prevent or reverse this type of vascular calcification. Some possible targets to block and regress calcification include local and circulating inhibitors of calcification as well as factors that may ameliorate vascular smooth muscle cell apoptosis [2].

Is aortic stenosis common in the elderly?

Aortic stenosis (AS) is perhaps the most common and most often cause of sudden death among valvular heart diseases. Its prevalence is low among adults aged < 60 years, but increases to almost 10% in adults ≥ 80 years.

What causes calcification on the aorta?

Non-genetic risk factors for aortic valve calcification include advancing age, high blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol levels and smoking.