Valvular & structural heart diseaseCross-sectional study
Prevalence and common cardiovascular risk factors in aortic valve calcification in the middle-aged general population
- Cross-sectional study
- population-based
Authors' conclusion
In this large, contemporary middle-aged general population, AVC was prevalent in as many as 7% and six cardiovascular risk factors contributed to one-third of the prevalence of AVC.
Study context
- Population
- Middle-aged general population aged 50–64 years, Sweden (SCAPIS), 2013–201829,221 with computed tomography (CT) included
- Participants
- 30,154 participants
- Outcome
- Prevalence of AVC (visual assessment on CT) and associated characteristics
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
AVC prevalence
Aortic valve calcification (AVC) present
2053 (7%)
AVC prevalence, 50-54 years
3%
AVC prevalence, 55-59 years
7%
AVC prevalence, 60-64 years
11%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Factors associated with AVC (adjusted for age, sex, smoking and study site)
| Comparison | OR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| Male sex | 2.02 (1.84–2.22) | |
| Hyperlipidaemia | 1.88 (1.68–2.11) | |
| Hypertension | 1.73 (1.57–1.91) | |
| Diabetes | 1.66 (1.39–1.97) | |
| Kidney dysfunction | 1.54 (1.10–2.11) | |
| Smoking | 1.36 (1.24–1.50) | |
| 0.512Odds ratio (log scale) |
| Outcome | OR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| Factors associated with AVC (adjusted for age, sex, smoking and study site) — Age (per year) | 1.12 (1.11–1.13) | |
| Factors associated with AVC (adjusted for age, sex, smoking and study site) — BMI (per unit) | 1.04 (1.03–1.05) | |
| 0.512Odds ratio (log scale) |
Population attributable risk proportion (PARP) of AVC for six modifiable risk factors
- PARP
- 34.5% (95% CI 29.6-39.4)
Original publication
Prevalence and common cardiovascular risk factors in aortic valve calcification in the middle-aged general population. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 21 March 2025. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf157
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it