AS calcification is most common in adults.

AS calcification is most common in adults.

• A. False
• B. True
• C. Not sure
• D. Not applicable

Answer: (B)

Calcific aortic stenosis is driven by age-related degenerative changes of the aortic valve. As people age, calcium deposits accumulate on the valve leaflets, causing them to become thickened and less mobile, which narrows the aortic orifice and increases the transvalvular gradient. This degenerative, calcific process is far more common in adults, especially the elderly, making calcific AS the most frequent form of the disease in that group. In younger patients, aortic stenosis is more often due to congenital abnormalities like a bicuspid valve or rheumatic disease rather than calcification. On echocardiography you’d expect to see calcified nodules with restricted leaflet motion and a reduced valve area, with Doppler gradients providing severity assessment.

Calcific aortic stenosis is driven by age-related degenerative changes of the aortic valve. As people age, calcium deposits accumulate on the valve leaflets, causing them to become thickened and less mobile, which narrows the aortic orifice and increases the transvalvular gradient. This degenerative, calcific process is far more common in adults, especially the elderly, making calcific AS the most frequent form of the disease in that group. In younger patients, aortic stenosis is more often due to congenital abnormalities like a bicuspid valve or rheumatic disease rather than calcification. On echocardiography you’d expect to see calcified nodules with restricted leaflet motion and a reduced valve area, with Doppler gradients providing severity assessment.