Aortic Sclerosis?

[KimC]

Hi,

I'm receiving a lot of new info from recent tests.

Does anyone in VR.com have experience w/ aortic sclerosis? I know it means calcium deposits. What's unusual is that sclerosis is common after age 65, but rare in someone my age. It's also hard to treat. Inflammation seems to be the culprit.

The good news is that my numbers only moved up a teeny bit. The bad news is that my EF is lower and I have sclerosis, which baffles me.

Thanks,

 

[Mary]

http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=HQ00245

Kim,
I think many people on the forum with bicuspid aortic valves have aortic sclerosis. It's not necessarily an age issue.
The valve's leaflet structure lends itself to the calcification. I was told by my surgeon after reviewing a video of my echocardiogram and disk of the heart cath that my valve was very heavily calcified. My echo shows critical stenosis but the pressure remains low enough that they feel the valve opening is larger than the study shows.
I believe Bob Hendricks related that his valve was so calcified that they thought it was a bicuspid when it actuality it was normal. The calcification was so great that the leaflets were stuck together.

I'm guessing that if you have four leaflets, you are more prone to the sclerosis. But I assume you have known that for a time; maybe just not associated the term with the condition?
Mary

 

[KimC]

Thanks, Mary. No, this was news to me. It's the first time I've ever seen "sclerosis" mentioned in one of my reports. I have a new local cardio who came from the NIH; he's a hot shot w/ a "tude" but he's got a great eye for detail.

Neither my cardio in Ft. Wayne, Indiana (where my family lives), nor my former local cardio found the sclerosis, and it makes me wonder if the fourth leaflet is actually calcification. (Aortic stenosis is prevalent on my mother's side of the family).

Bottom line, I'm still relatively newly diagnosed and trying to figure things out. The new guy and the CCF have helped a lot.

Best,

 

[Bunny_Rabbit]

Hi Kim,

Rumour has it that I have Aortic Sclerosis also. It was first thought that I had Aortic Stenosis, but then changed to Sclerosis...but on my last echo nothing was mentioned at all. So needless to say, I'm stumped. I'm assuming I DO have Sclerosis and they just didn't check when I had my last echo.

My doctor doesn't seem too concerned about it. So that's the attitude I'm taking with it. It's just one more fun problem with my heart.