Oral calcium supplementation was associated with lower survival and a greater need for aortic valve replacement in elderly patients with mild to moderate aortic stenosis, a new study finds.
"Our findings suggest that supplemental calcium in this population does not confer any cardiovascular benefit, and instead these relationships should be thoughtfully considered in light of growing evidence and concern for cardiovascular harm particularly with unnecessary supplementation," the authors conclude.
The study was published online in Heart on April 25.
The researchers, led by Nicholas Kassis, MD, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, explain that aortic stenosis is the most common adult valvular disease in the developed world. Increasing with age, it has a prevalence of 2% among those over 65 years and 4% over 85 years.
The condition is marked by severe calcification causing leaflet immobility and outflow obstruction, a process that occurs over a mean duration of 8 years and leads to dramatically increased mortality if left untreated once symptoms develop. With no proven pharmacological therapy, aortic valve replacement is the only treatment modality.
The researchers point out that although it is a disease of the elderly, multiple modifiable risk factors for aortic stenosis have also been identified, including raised cholesterol levels, smoking, and increased serum ionized calcium,
