How quickly does aortic sclerosis progress to aortic stenosis (is how often should we scan)?
My clinical practice in the absence of other indicators is to repeat after about five years, and that still seems reasonable. One older study found that 8% of patients progress to severe AS rapidly, but it’s a retrospective, observational one – and then it seems like we lost interest in the topic. I am still intrigued by the idea of treating these patients with statins early to prevent progression, so I’m sharing one of those papers with you, too.
Figure 2.
Antonini-Canterin F, Hîrşu M, Popescu BA, et al. Stage-Related Effect of Statin Treatment on the Progression of Aortic Valve Sclerosis and Stenosis. The American Journal of Cardiology. 2008;102(6):738-742. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjcard.2008.04.056
Faggiano P, Antonini-Canterin F, Erlicher A, et al. Progression of Aortic Valve Sclerosis to Aortic Stenosis. The American Journal of Cardiology. 2003;91(1):99-101. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0002-9149(02)03011-4
