The OxVALVE population cohort study (OxVALVE-PCS)-population screening for undiagnosed valvular heart disease in the elderly: study design and objectives
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 21, 2026
Echocardiographic Approaches and Protocols for Comprehensive Phenotypic Characterization of Valvular Heart Disease in Mice
Published on: February 14, 2017
Sean Coffey1, Joanna L d'Arcy1, Margaret A Loudon1
1National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust , Oxford , UK.
Insights
The OxVALVE study investigates valvular heart disease (VHD) in older adults, aiming to understand its prevalence and guide future healthcare strategies. This population cohort study will provide crucial epidemiological data for VHD management.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Epidemiology
- Geriatrics
Background:
- Valvular heart disease (VHD) is a growing concern in aging populations, with limited medical therapies.
- Accurate epidemiological data on VHD is lacking, hindering strategic decision-making.
- The OxVALVE population cohort study (OxVALVE-PCS) was designed to address this information gap.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the contemporary epidemiology of undiagnosed VHD in the community.
- To inform resource allocation for VHD-associated healthcare.
- To establish subcohorts for future clinical research on VHD.
Main Methods:
- Recruitment of participants aged 65+ from Oxfordshire general practices.
- Screening examinations including demographics, cardiovascular history, vital signs, and echocardiography.
- Detailed echocardiographic assessment, blood sample collection, and longitudinal follow-up for significant VHD findings.
Main Results:
- The study is designed to yield contemporary epidemiological data on VHD prevalence.
- It will identify individuals with undiagnosed VHD for further study.
- The study will assess the feasibility of community-based echocardiography and quality of life.
Conclusions:
- OxVALVE-PCS will provide essential epidemiological data on undiagnosed VHD.
- Findings will aid in the efficient deployment of healthcare resources for VHD.
- The study will create valuable cohorts for advancing VHD clinical research.
Introduction:
Valvular heart disease (VHD) is an increasingly important cardiac condition, driven by an ageing population and lack of progress in the development of medical therapies. There is a dearth of accurate information to guide decision-makers in the development of strategies to combat VHD, and no population-based study has been performed specifically to investigate its contemporary epidemiology. This document describes the design and methodology of the OxVALVE population cohort study (OxVALVE-PCS), which was conceived to address this need.
Methods And Analysis:
Participants aged 65 years and older attending a participating general practice in Oxfordshire, UK, are invited to attend a screening examination. Exclusion criteria include previously diagnosed VHD, inability to provide consent, terminal illness or excessive frailty. Demographics, a focused cardiovascular history and vital signs are recorded at the initial screening examination, accompanied by an echocardiogram. Any finding of significant VHD triggers a separate, more formal echocardiographic assessment (including acquisition of a three-dimensional dataset) and collection of blood samples for future genetic and biomarker analysis. Participants provide consent for longitudinal follow-up and enrolment in future cohort substudies. We also assess the acceptability of community-based echocardiographic examination and compare self-assessed quality of life between those with and without VHD.
Conclusions:
OxVALVE-PCS will provide contemporary epidemiological data concerning the community prevalence of undiagnosed VHD, facilitate accurate deployment of scarce resources to meet the anticipated increase in demand for VHD-associated healthcare and create a series of subcohorts with carefully defined genotypes and echocardiographic phenotypes for long overdue clinical studies.
Ethics And Dissemination:
This study was approved by the local research ethics committee (Southampton, UK; REC Ref: 09/H0502/58).
Results:
Results will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
More Related Videos
10:38Observational Study Protocol for Repeated Clinical Examination and Critical Care Ultrasonography Within the Simple Intensive Care Studies
Published on: January 16, 2019
03:40Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Peripheral Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Without Left Ventricular Venting
Published on: January 17, 2025
Related Concept Videos
01:22Mitral Valve Prolapse II: Assessment and Management
01:26Coronary Artery Disease IV: Preventive Measures
01:23Mitral Stenosis II: Clinical features and Diagnostic Tests
01:30Acute Coronary Syndrome III: Diagnostic Studies
01:27Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-IV: Assessement and Diagnostic Studies
Medical History
01:22Mitral Stenosis I: Introduction