Authors

• Karolina Beg — University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0009-0009-6670-9956
• Sandra Jakšić Jurinjak — University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0002-7349-6137
• Nevio Aradski — University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0009-0001-5554-8626
• Katarina Arbanas — University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0009-0000-2684-404X
• Bruno Lekaj — University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0009-0003-7625-6002
• Laura Mikić — University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0009-0004-2035-5711
• Vlatka Rešković Lukšić — University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0002-4721-3236
• Marija Brestovac — University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0003-1542-2890
• Martina Lovrić Benčić — University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0001-8446-6120
• Joško Bulum — University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0002-1482-6503
• Zvonimir Ostojić — University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0003-1762-9270
• Blanka Glavaš Konja — University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0003-1134-4856
• Jadranka Šeparović Hanževački — University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia — ORCID: 0000-0002-3437-6407

Keywords

aortic valve stenosis, body mass index, obesity

DOI

Full Text

**Introduction:** A higher body mass index (BMI) is known to be associated with an increased incidence of aortic valve stenosis (AS). (1, 2) We aimed to assess whether obesity is associated with developing severe AS. **Patients and Methods:** The study included 548 patients admitted for severe AS from September 2020 to August 2024 at the Heart Valve Department of the University Hospital Centre Zagreb. The mean age of the patients was 78.491 ± 8.347 [30-95], 54% were female and the mean BMI was 27.711 ± 5.020 [15.6-44.4]. They were divided into three groups based on BMI: Group I consisted of severe AS and BMI ≤ 24.9 kg/m2, Group II included BMI 25-29.9 kg/m2, and Group III comprised BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2. For the groups of patients, we analyzed renal function by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and standard cardiovascular risk factors: arterial hypertension (AH), diabetes mellitus (DM), smoking, and dyslipidemia (DIS). The presence of other valve involvement, coronary artery disease (CAD) and the intervention (TAVR or SAVR) were also analyzed. **Results:** Among 548 analyzed patients with severe AS, most of them (68.1%) were overweight or obese. A total of 160 patients (29.2%) had a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 (Group III) and they were overall younger (mean age: 76.225 ± 8.098) compared to the other two groups (P<0.001). The majority of patients in Group III had arterial hypertension (92.5%) and dyslipidemia (79.3%). AH showed a tendency for positive significance (92.5% vs. 91.1% vs. 85.1%, P=0.059). There was no difference in renal function between groups (P=0.708). Despite the lower overall presence of mitral valve regurgitation and stenosis, as well as tricuspid valve regurgitation in obese patients with severe AS (Group III), there was no significance compared to the other two groups (P=0.64, P=0.532, P=0.455). Obese patients had more surgical aortic valve repair (SAVR) than patients with lower BMI (30% vs. 19.2% vs. 16%, P=0.005), probably being overall younger. **Conclusion:** This study suggests that among patients with severe aortic valve stenosis, a higher proportion were overweight and obese, indicating that obesity could be a risk factor for the development of severe aortic valve stenosis.

Literature

1. Kontogeorgos S, Rosengren A, Sandström TZ, Fu M, Lindgren M, Basic C, et al. Association Between Body Mass Index and Risk of Aortic Stenosis in Women in the Swedish Medical Birth Registry. J Am Heart Assoc. 2024 October 15;13(20):e034891. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.123.034891
2. Sharma A, Lavie CJ, Elmariah S, Borer JS, Sharma SK, Vemulapalli S, et al. Relationship of Body Mass Index With Outcomes After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: Results From the National Cardiovascular Data-STS/ACC TVT Registry. Mayo Clin Proc. 2020 January;95(1):57–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2019.09.027