Aortic valve sclerosis is associated with the extent of coronary artery disease in stable coronary artery disease

Background/aim: Aortic valve sclerosis (AVS) is characterized by lipid deposition and calcific infiltration on the edge of aortic leaflets without significant restriction of motion. The SYNTAX Score (SS) is an important method for evaluating coronary artery disease (CAD). Many studies showed that there is an important relation between the SS and undesired cardiac outcomes. In our study, we investigated the correlation between the SS and AVS by including both ACS and stable CAD cases. Materials and methods: We enrolled 543 patients with CAD who underwent coronary angiography into this cross-sectional study between September 2013 and September 2014. Results: The study population was divided into two groups according to SS values above and below 22. Diabetes mellitus (DM) incidence was greater in the group with high SS values (26.3% vs. 19.2%, P = 0.052.). Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and glomerular filtration rate were lower. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels were lower while platelet counts were higher. In multivariate analysis, for the stable coronary artery group AVS existence, platelet count, LVEF value, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were found as independent predictors. Conclusion: Our study results demonstrated that AVS is significantly associated with the complexity of CAD, especially in patients with stable CAD. This study provides new information regarding the role of AVS in CAD complexity.