The predictive value of arterial and valvular calcification for mortality and cardiovascular events

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Vascular Biology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Arterial and valvular calcification are increasingly recognized as indicators of cardiovascular risk.
• Previous studies suggest a link between calcification and adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the predictive ability of arterial and valvular calcification for mortality and coronary heart disease.
• To assess the role of calcification in acute coronary syndrome and stroke prediction.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of existing literature on arterial and valvular calcification.
• Analysis of predictive value across different patient populations (asymptomatic, symptomatic, high-risk).

Main Results:

• Calcification in multiple locations, particularly mitral annular calcification, has an additive effect on predicting mortality and coronary heart disease.
• While calcification presence, extent, and progression associate with cardiovascular events, this association weakens when adjusting for calcification in other arterial beds.
• Culprit plaques in acute coronary syndrome are typically not calcified, questioning the causal role of calcification.
• Carotid and intracranial artery calcification show limited predictive ability for stroke.

Conclusions:

• Arterial and valvular calcification, especially mitral annular calcification, are significant predictors of cardiovascular events and mortality.
• The predictive value of calcification may be confounded by other factors or non-causal, particularly in acute coronary syndromes.
• Calcification's role in stroke prediction is less clear, with limited predictive ability in carotid and intracranial arteries.