Risk factors and comorbidities associated with severe aortic stenosis: a case-control study

Aortic stricture (AS) is one of the most prevalent cardiovascular diseases in individuals 65 years of age or older. A number of epidemiological studies have suggested that certain cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs) and comorbidities could be associated with AS. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between CRFs and comorbidities and severe symptomatic AS in individuals 65 years of age or older in a Spanish healthcare region.

We conducted an epidemiological case-control study from a single primary care centre. We collected information on exposure to CRFs and comorbidities and determined their association with AS, employing adjusted odds ratios (OR) and multiple logistic regression models.

The study included 102 cases (mean age, 77.6 years) and 221 controls (mean age, 75.5 years). The CRFs significantly associated with severe symptomatic AS were hypercholesterolaemia (OR, 2.67; p<.001), tobacco use (OR, 2.60; p<.001), hypertension (OR, 2.41; p=.010) and low HDL cholesterol readings (OR, 2.20; p=.007). The comorbidities significantly associated with severe symptomatic AS were carotid stenosis (OR, 14.5; p=.017), stroke (OR, 4.14; p=.024), chronic renal failure (OR, 3.78; p<.001) and low haemoglobin levels (OR, 0.76; p<.001).

Hypercholesterolaemia, tobacco use, arterial hypertension and low HDL cholesterol levels are the CRFs with a greater risk of severe AS. Furthermore, this disease is associated with a number of comorbidities (chronic renal failure, stroke, carotid stenosis and low haemoglobin levels), which could be markers of AS.