Table 1. Clinical characteristics of the study patients.
| Patients with aortic valve stenosis | Control group (n = 32) | ||
| Mild-moderate AS (n = 34) | Severe AS (n = 34) | ||
| Age, yr | 72 ± 8.5 | 73.7 ± 6.8 | 70.7 ± 7.2 |
| Sex, male/female | 16/18 | 43427 | 17/15 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 28.5 ± 5.3 | 26.7 ± 2.1 | 30 ± 4.2 |
| Body surface area, m2 | 1.89 ± 0.1 | 1.76 ± 0.1 | 1.8 ± 0.1 |
| Aortic valve area, cm2 | 1.52 ± 0.2# | 0.78 ± 0.1# | |
| Mean pressure gradient, mmHg | 25.9 ± 6# | 49.2 ± 11.9# | |
| Peak pressure gradient, mmHg | 45.9 ± 9.4# | 78.5 ± 17.8# | |
| LV mass index, g/m2 | 121 (69-350)* | 137 (13-185)* | 89 (66-117) |
| LV ejection fraction, % | 61.7 ± 3.7 | 60.8 ± 3.5 | 62.4 ± 3.4 |
| Hypertension, % | 41.2 | 35.3 | 37.5 |
| Diabetes mellitus, % | 23.5 | 20.6 | 12.5 |
| Smoking, % | 11.8 | 14.7 | 9.4 |
| Hyperlipidemia, % | 37.5 | 41.2 | 46.9 |
| Medication | |||
| Beta-blockers, % | 76.5 | 79.4 | 18.8 |
| Statin, % | 32.4 | 50 | 21.9 |
| ACEi-ARB, % | 44.1 | 52.9 | 37.5 |
ACEi, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor; ARB, angiotensin receptor blocker; BMI, body mass index; LV, left ventricular; Significant difference for patients with vs. without heart failure; * p ≤ 0.05; # p < 0.001.