Circulating CD14(+) monocytes in patients with aortic stenosis.

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Biology
• Immunology
• Pathophysiology

Background:

• Calcific aortic stenosis (AS) involves inflammation, fibrosis, and calcification, similar to atherosclerosis.
• Monocytes are implicated in these pathological processes, but their specific role in AS remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between circulating CD14(+) monocytes (both apoptotic and non-apoptotic) and features of calcific aortic stenosis.

Main Methods:

• Flow cytometry was used to quantify CD14(+) monocytes and apoptotic monocytes in 54 patients with significant AS and 33 controls.
• Patients with AS had an aortic valve area of 0.74 ± 0.27 cm(2).

Main Results:

• No significant differences in risk factors or other vascular diseases were found between AS patients and controls.
• AS patients showed significantly higher numbers of CD14(+) monocytes compared to controls (9.9% ± 4.9% vs. 7.7% ± 3.9%, P = 0.03).
• Monocyte counts correlated with age, AS presence, and severity, and were inversely related to aortic valve area in AS patients.

Conclusions:

• Significant AS is characterized by an increased number of circulating CD14(+) monocytes.
• The inverse correlation between monocyte count and aortic valve area suggests inflammation is active even in severe, calcified stages of AS.