Does aortic valve calcification increase the risk of heart disease?
Aortic valve calcification (sclerosis) is a condition in which large calcium deposits form on the aortic valve in the heart. These deposits can cause narrowing at the opening of the aortic valve and reduce blood flow through it, causing chest pain or a heart attack. Doctors refer to this narrowing as aortic valve stenosis. Aortic calcification may be an early sign that you have heart disease, even if you don’t have any other heart disease symptoms. Sclerosis and stenosis typically affect people older than age 65. When it occurs in younger people, it’s often caused by: • A heart defect that’s present at birth • Other illnesses, such as kidney failure • High cholesterol A doctor may suspect aortic valve sclerosis or stenosis by hearing a heart murmur with a stethoscope. An ultrasound of the heart (echocardiogram) can help your doctor diagnose whether your murmur is caused by aortic valve stenosis. Another test, the coronary calcium scan, can measure the amount of calcification in your he
