Aortic stenosis
Genetic studies now confirm Lp(a) causally drives aortic valve stenosis, but no approved therapy yet lowers it, a review of imaging and emerging targets (Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 2022)
Original title: Lipoprotein(a) and aortic valve stenosis: A casual or causal association?
This review updates available methods for imaging aortic valve calcification activity and potential therapeutic options for aortic valve stenosis (AVS), the most common heart valve condition requiring treatment in Western adults, for which no medical therapy is proven effective and surgical or transcatheter valve replacement remains the only option. Elevated Lp(a) is strongly associated with degenerative aortic stenosis, first observed in prospective observational studies and subsequently confirmed as causal in genetic studies. The authors discuss newly identified therapeutic targets and imaging techniques that could test the effectiveness of emerging agents and further clarify AVS pathophysiology, noting that no therapy specifically lowering Lp(a) has yet been approved for clinical use.
Original abstract
Aims: This review aims to provide an update of available methods for imaging calcification activity and potential therapeutic options.
Data Synthesis: Aortic valve calcification represents the most common heart valve condition requiring treatment among adults in Western societies. No medical therapies are proven to be effective in treating symptoms or reducing disease progression. Therefore, surgical or transcatheter aortic valve replacement remains the only available treatment option. Elevated circulating concentrations of lipoprotein(a) is strongly associated with degenerative aortic stenosis. This relationship was first observed in prospective observational studies, and the causal relationship was confirmed in genetic studies.
Conclusions: New therapeutic targets have been identified and new imaging techniques could be used to test the effectiveness of new agents and further clarify the pathophysiology of AVS. No therapy that specifically lowers Lp (a) levels has been approved for clinical use.
Summary written by lp-a.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 18 August 2026. Methods.