Clinical and laboratory characteristics
| Normal valve (n = 27) | Aortic sclerosis (n = 32) | Aortic stenosis (n = 17) | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continuous variables are expressed as medians (interquartile ranges) | ||||
| Age (years) | 57 (49–70) | 68 (60–74) | 78 (71–83) | <0.001 |
| Female (%) | 30 | 34 | 47 | 0.49 |
| Hypertension (%) | 52 | 50 | 53 | 0.98 |
| Hypercholesterolaemia (%) | 48 | 81 | 41 | 0.006 |
| Diabetes mellitus (%) | 22 | 28 | 12 | 0.42 |
| Tobacco use (%) | 63 | 56 | 47 | 0.58 |
| Serum creatinine concentration (mg/dl) | 0.9 (0.8–1) | 1.0 (0.9–1.2) | 1.2 (1–1.3) | 0.004 |
| Plasma homocysteine concentration (μmol/l) | 9.2 (8.2–14.6) | 11.3 (9.3–12.8) | 16.6 (12.7–17.8) | 0.003 |