Iron Deficiency as a Promoter of Intra-leaflet Haemorrhage-induced Aortic Valve Calcification

Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is a highly prevalent, disabling and costly disorder with generally poor long-time outcomes once critical stenosis presents with symptoms. Elucidating viable therapeutic strategies for CAVD is pressing. Valvular interstitial cells (VICs) control the structure and function of aortic valve. Intra-leaflet haemorrhage (IH), commonly occurring in histologically stenotic aortic valves, while, in 2019, researchers pointed that iron deposits also presented obviously healthy valves. In line with this, later exploration from vitro showed that iron stimulation alone could not promote VICs calcification. Iron deficiency (ID) is a frequent co-morbidity in multiple chronic cardiovascular diseases such as CAVD; up to 50% of patients with severe aortic stenosis present ID. Data from a small clinical study in patients undergoing TAVI showed those in ID status appeared much higher mean transaortic gradient; whereas no studies have assessed the correlation between ID and aortic valve remodelling and dysfunction progress itself. Here, the investigators aim to investigate for a tentative correlation between ID and human aortic valve remodeling and dysfunction.