Relationship of metabolic syndrome with incident aortic valve calcium and aortic valve calcium progression: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Description

Whether the metabolic syndrome identified by the NCEP-ATP III clinical criteria is associated with an increased risk for the development of new aortic valve calcium (AVC) or for the progression of established AVC determined by computed tomography was examined in 5,723 participants of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Among subjects without AVC at baseline, adjusted risks for incident AVC were significantly increased in those with the metabolic syndrome (odds ratio: 1.67, 95% CI: 1.21-2.31) or diabetes (odds ratio: 2.06, 95% CI: 1.39-3.06). Among individuals with AVC at baseline, the metabolic syndrome or diabetes was not associated with AVC progression. These results suggest that early management of the metabolic syndrome could be effective in preventing the development of AVC.