The relationship between endothelial function and aortic valve calcification: Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

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Moshrik Abd Alamir1, Michael Goyfman2, Dana Johnson1

  • 1Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Parkside Ste B-01, 1775 Dempster St, Park Ridge, IL, 60068, USA.

Atherosclerosis
|December 12, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Endothelial dysfunction, measured by flow-mediated dilation (FMD%) and biomarkers, does not appear to be independently linked to the presence or worsening of aortic valve calcification in a multiethnic group after accounting for cardiac risk factors.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Atherosclerosis Research
  • Multi-ethnic Population Studies

Background:

  • Aortic valve calcification (AVC) is potentially linked to atherogenic processes driven by endothelial dysfunction (ED).
  • Limited data exists on the association between ED markers (flow-mediated dilation [FMD%] and biomarkers) and AVC prevalence/progression in diverse populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between endothelial dysfunction and the prevalence and progression of aortic valve calcification.
  • To analyze ED using flow-mediated dilation (FMD%) and various serologic biomarkers in a multiethnic cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from 3475 Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) participants with serial CT scans.
  • Assessed endothelial dysfunction via FMD% and biomarkers including CRP, vWF, PAI, fibrinogen, IL6, E-selectin, and ICAM-1.
  • Employed multivariate modeling to evaluate associations between ED markers and AVC prevalence and progression.

Main Results:

  • Individuals with prevalent AVC showed lower FMD% and higher vWF, fibrinogen, IL6, and ICAM-1 levels.
  • After adjusting for cardiac risk factors, neither reduced FMD% nor elevated biomarkers were independently associated with AVC prevalence.
  • Similarly, AVC progression was not independently linked to FMD% or biomarker levels after risk factor adjustment.

Conclusions:

  • Endothelial dysfunction, assessed by FMD% and biomarkers, is not significantly associated with the prevalence of aortic valve calcification.
  • Endothelial dysfunction markers do not show an independent association with the progression of aortic valve calcification after accounting for cardiac risk factors.
Abstract

Keywords:
Aortic valve calcificationBiomarkersEndothelial dysfunctionFMD

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