Table 1. Demographic, Clinical and Echocardiographic characteristics according to the symptomatic status at study entry and follow-up.
| Variables | Asymptomatic all along, (n = 30, 35%) | Symptomatic at follow-up, (n = 29, 34%) | Symptomatic at study entry, (n = 27, 31%) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical variables | ||||
| Age—years | 70±16 | 72±13 | 82±6 | <0.01 |
| Male gender—no (%) | 22 (73) | 18 (62) | 16 (59) | 0.49 |
| Hypertension—no (%) | 19 (63) | 20 (67) | 20 (74) | 0.68 |
| Diabetes mellitus—no (%) | 4 (13) | 6 (21) | 8 (30) | 0.32 |
| Hypercholesterolemia—no (%) | 16 (53) | 16 (55) | 10 (37) | 0.33 |
| Current smoking—no (%) | 7 (23) | 9 (31) | 13 (48) | 0.14 |
| Aortic Stenosis Severity | ||||
| Aortic valve area—cm2 | 1.03±0.2 | 0.90±0.22 | 0.73±0.19 | <0.01 |
| Peak aortic velocity—m/sec | 3.7±0.6 | 3.9±0.6 | 4.3±0.6 | <0.01 |
| Mean pressure gradient—mm Hg | 33±11 | 42±15 | 47±15 | <0.01 |
| LV function | ||||
| Indexed LV end-diastolic volume—ml/m2 | 52±18 | 53±20 | 55±27 | 0.97 |
| Indexed LV end-systolic volume—ml/m2 | 21±8 | 20±8 | 20±6 | 0.96 |
| LV ejection fraction—% | 65±7 | 67±5 | 63±6.5 | 0.23 |
| LV mass—g/m2 | 80±20 | 94±22 | 112±29 | <0.01 |
| Mitral E/e’ | 11±5 | 12±5 | 17±6 | <0.01 |
| Left atrial area index | 9.1±3 | 11±3 | 14±5 | <0.01 |
| Biomarkers | ||||
| BNP (pg/mL) | 76±74 | 126±154 | 270±322 | <0.01 |
| BNP ratio | 0.97±1.05 | 1.7±3.3 | 2.9±3.7 | 0.04 |
| Risk score | 10±1.6 | 11.5±1.6 | 12.6±1.7 | <0.01 |
| sST2 (ng/mL) | 17±4.4 | 24±10 | 27±11 | <0.01 |
Values are means ± SD. LV denotes left ventricular.