Table 4.
Histological and immunohistochemical findings in the aortic valve (right coronary cusp) of study subjects by age
| Age group (years) | ||||
| 1 (20–40) (n = 15) | 2 (41–60) (n = 17) | 3 (⩾61) (n = 16) | p Value* | |
| Location of aortic valve lesion | ||||
| Base | 3 | 5 | 0 | |
| Middle | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Tip | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
| Diffuse | 1 | 8 | 16 | <0.001 |
| Internal elastic lamina | ||||
| Normal | 7 | 1 | 0 | |
| Dislocated | 5 | 8 | 16 | |
| Disrupted | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Duplicated | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Multiple abnormalities | 2 | 7 | 8 | 0.004 |
| Cellularity | ||||
| Normal | 9 | 3 | 1 | |
| Slightly increased | 5 | 12 | 10 | |
| Moderately increased | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| Strongly increased | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.002 |
| Number of macrophages | ||||
| Normal | 8 | 1 | 1 | |
| Slightly increased | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| Moderately increased | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Strongly increased | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.028 |
| Number of T lymphocytes | ||||
| None | 8 | 5 | 1 | |
| Slightly increased | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| Moderately to strongly increased | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.051 |
| Amount of cholesterol crystals | ||||
| None | 14 | 10 | 7 | |
| Slightly increased | 0 | 6 | 5 | |
| Moderately increased | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Strongly increased | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.007 |
| Amount of mineralisation | ||||
| None | 14 | 5 | 2 | |
| Slightly increased | 1 | 4 | 6 | |
| Moderate to strongly increased | 0 | 8 | 8 | <0.001 |
| Location of mineralisation | ||||
| Base | 1 | 11 | 6 | |
| Middle | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Tip | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Diffuse | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0.007 |
*p value between the three age groups.