Biological age links to death risk after heart valve replacement
In two cohorts of 937 and 470 heart valve replacement patients, faster biological aging was linked to higher mortality over two to three years.
Limit: Follow-up covered only two to three years, limiting longer-term death-risk estimates
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
An observational study included 937 patients averaging 72.6 years old and 470 patients averaging 71.6 years old who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis, a narrowed aortic valve. Researchers estimated biological age from clinical biochemistry markers using several calculation methods. These included homeostatic dysregulation, a measure of physiological imbalance, and PhenoAge, another biological age estimate.
In the retrospective cohort of 937 patients, biological age measures and accelerated aging were associated with higher risks of death and major adverse events over three years, with hazard ratios above 1.0. In the prospective cohort of 470 patients, higher homeostatic dysregulation was linked to higher risks of death and readmission over two years, with hazard ratios above 1.5. Biological age measures showed linear associations with adverse outcomes.
Why it matters
Physiological aging offers a perspective beyond calendar age when assessing patients with aortic stenosis. The researchers concluded that incorporating biological age indicators could help assess risk and guide treatment selection.
Caveats
The observational design cannot establish whether accelerated biological aging caused the post-procedure complications. The findings apply specifically to patients undergoing transcatheter valve replacement for aortic stenosis, and the report appeared as a conference abstract.
