ABSTRACT
In the Western world, calcified aortic valve stenosis is the most common form of valvular heart disease, affecting up to 3% of adults over the age of 75 years. It is a gradually progressive disease, characterized by a long asymptomatic phase that may last for several decades, followed by a short symptomatic phase associated with severe restriction of the valve orifice. Investigations on treatments for aortic valve stenosis are still in progress. Thus, it is believed that calcification of aortic valve stenosis is similar to the process of atherosclerosis that occurs in coronary artery disease. Recent studies have suggested that cholesterol lowering through the use of statins may have a salutary effect on the progression of aortic valve stenosis.
Subject(s)
Aortic Valve Stenosis/drug therapy , Calcinosis/drug therapy , Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Cholesterol, LDL/drug effects , Disease Progression , Evidence-Based Medicine , HumansABSTRACT
In the Western world, calcified aortic valve stenosis is the most common form of valvular heart disease, affecting up to 3 percent of adults over the age of 75 years. It is a gradually progressive disease, characterized by a long asymptomatic phase that may last for several decades, followed by a short symptomatic phase associated with severe restriction of the valve orifice. Investigations on treatments for aortic valve stenosis are still in progress. Thus, it is believed that calcification of aortic valve stenosis is similar to the process of atherosclerosis that occurs in coronary artery disease. Recent studies have suggested that cholesterol lowering through the use of statins may have a salutary effect on the progression of aortic valve stenosis.
No mundo ocidental, a estenose da valva aórtica calcificada é a forma mais comum de doença cardíaca valvar, afetando até 3 por cento dos adultos com idade acima de 75 anos. É uma doença gradual e progressiva, caracterizada por uma longa fase assintomática, podendo durar várias décadas, seguida de uma curta fase sintomática associada à restrição grave do orifício da valvar. A investigação sobre o tratamento da estenose da valva aórtica ainda está em curso. Desta forma, acredita-se que a calcificação da estenose da valva aórtica seja semelhante ao processo de aterosclerose que ocorre na doença arterial coronariana. Estudos recentes têm sugerido que a redução do colesterol pelo do uso das estatinas pode ter um efeito salutar sobre a progressão da estenose da valva aórtica.
