Association between aortic valve calcification and cardiovascular events in patients with chronic kidney disease

The association between aortic valve calcification (AVC) and cardiovascular (CV) events across diverse populations including patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains controversial. This study aimed to determine whether AVC is associated with CV events in patients with CKD. In this prospective study, 1,279 participants with CKD were enrolled. A Cox proportional hazard model was applied to determine the association between AVC and CV events. The participants were divided into the following groups according to the number of calcified aortic cusps (CACs): no CACs (n = 922), one CAC (n = 209), and two to three CACs (n = 148). During a median follow-up of 2.9 years, CV events occurred in 185 participants. In multivariable Cox analyses, the hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of one CAC and two to three CACs for CV events compared with no CACs were 1.94 (1.32, 2.83) and 2.21 (1.46, 3.33), respectively. In a propensity score-matched cohort, participants with AVC (n = 284) had a significantly higher risk of CV events than those without AVC (n = 284). In CKD, the presence of AVC appears to be an independent risk factor for CV events, and the assessment of AVC is useful in predicting the prognosis.