Hyperlipidaemia and aortic valve disease

Degenerative aortic valve stenosis is a common disease in the elderly, and traditional risk factors for atherosclerotic disease including hyperlipidaemia have been associated with the condition in several studies. This review addresses the role of the various risk factors and the potential for intervention. The association of lipid abnormalities such as high lipoprotein(a) levels and the presence of the apolipoprotein E4 allele with aortic stenosis, as well as the presence of several inflammatory markers both in plasma and in surgically excised valves, suggest that the stenotic process is driven by many of the same factors behind atherosclerosis. The aortic valves of animals fed a cholesterol-rich diet exhibit many characteristics in common with the early stages of aortic stenosis. This opens up the potential of retarding the process through intervention strategies. Hyperlipidaemia is associated with degenerative aortic valve stenosis, and the disease resembles the inflammatory process of atherosclerosis. Randomized controlled clinical trials will be needed to demonstrate the role of lipid intervention in patients with this condition.