Abdominal artery calcium is linked to heart valve narrowing
In older women, moderate or severe abdominal artery calcium was linked to a hazard ratio of 2.81 for heart valve narrowing compared with low calcium.
14.5 years
Limit: Hospital and death records can miss undiagnosed cases of aortic valve stenosis
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
A prospective study examined 1,046 women aged 70 years or older who had lateral spine images taken during dual energy X-ray absorptiometry bone density testing. An investigator assessed abdominal aortic calcification, calcium buildup in the body's main abdominal artery, using a 24-point score. Scores were classified as low or moderate-to-severe. Linked hospital data and death records tracked incident calcific aortic valve stenosis, a narrowing of the heart's aortic valve, over 14.5 years.
Moderate-to-severe calcification was present in 578 women (55%). Over 14.5 years, 34 women (3.3%) developed calcific aortic valve stenosis. Among those 34 patients, 31 were subsequently hospitalized or died from any cause. In an adjusted analysis, moderate-to-severe calcification was associated with a 2.5-to-3-fold increase in the relative hazard of incident stenosis, with a hazard ratio of 2.81, compared to women with low calcification.
Why it matters
Calcific aortic valve stenosis is an underdiagnosed heart condition whose burden increases as populations age. Evaluating abdominal aortic calcification during routine bone density scans may help identify women aged 70 or older at risk for this condition.
Caveats
The observational design shows an association rather than cause and effect. Because the study included only women aged 70 and older, the findings may not apply to men or younger people.
The paper
University of Western Australia
ESC Congress 2026 Abstract, Oct 26, 2026
Presented at ESC Congress 2026
