Table 1.
Characteristics of the study population according to the severity of AS at baseline
| Total (n=316) |
Moderate AS (n=210) | Severe AS (n=106) | P values | |
| Demographic and clinical data | ||||
| Age, years | 65±12 | 64±12 | 69±11 | <0.01 |
| Male, % | 67 | 70 | 61 | 0.134 |
| Weight, kg | 80±16 | 81±16 | 78±16 | 0.189 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 28±10 | 29±11 | 28±5 | 0.290 |
| Obesity, % | 26 | 27 | 25 | 0.803 |
| Systolic blood pressure, mm Hg | 142±19 | 140±18 | 145±21 | 0.055 |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mm Hg | 82±13 | 80±13 | 86±11 | <0.01 |
| Hypertension, % | 74 | 73 | 76 | 0.643 |
| Antihypertensive treatment, % | 65 | 65 | 65 | 0.968 |
| Current and ex-smokers, % | 47 | 46 | 48 | 0.773 |
| Coronary artery disease, % | 51 | 58 | 38 | <0.01 |
| Diabetes mellitus, % | 13 | 14 | 10 | 0.409 |
| Atrial fibrillation, % | 13 | 10 | 20 | 0.06 |
| Hypercholesterolaemia, % | 67 | 72 | 56 | <0.05 |
| Statins, % | 63 | 69 | 52 | <0.05 |
| Aspirin, % | 57 | 57 | 60 | 0.629 |
| Echocardiographic data | ||||
| Left atrium dimension, cm | 3.8±0.7 | 3.8±0.7 | 3.7±0.7 | 0.790 |
| Aortic root diameter, cm | 3.3±0.5 | 3.3±0.5 | 3.3±0.5 | 0.572 |
| Aortic annulus diameter, cm | 2.1±0.3 | 2.2±0.2 | 2.1±0.3 | 0.073 |
| LV end-diastolic diameter, cm | 4.6±0.7 | 4.6±0.6 | 4.5±0.7 | 0.301 |
| Interventricular septal thickness, cm | 1.29±0.26 | 1.27±0.25 | 1.35±0.28 | <0.05 |
| Posterior wall thickness, cm | 1.12±0.22 | 1.10±0.20 | 1.15±0.26 | <0.05 |
| LV ejection fraction, % | 60±7 | 60±7 | 60±6 | 0.814 |
| Fractional shortening, % | 34±8 | 34±8 | 36±10 | 0.230 |
| Mean resistance, dyne s/cm5 | 193±80 | 150±52 | 271±61 | <0.001 |
| Peak aortic jet velocity, m/s | 3.7±0.6 | 3.4±0.5 | 4.4±0.5 | <0.001 |
| Mean aortic gradient, mm Hg | 34±13 | 34±5 | 43±5 | <0.001 |
| Effective orifice area, cm2 | 0.94±0.22 | 1.04±0.20 | 0.74±0.14 | <0.001 |
AS, aortic stenosis; LV, left ventricular.