Aortic stenosis and results of the SEAS study - Does lipid-lowering therapy of aortic stenosis make any sense?
Abstract
Knowledge regarding the pathogenesis of calcified aortic stenosis provided the basis for a hypothesis of slowing aortic stenosis progression by lipid-lowering therapy with statins, a concept supported by results of retrospective analyses. However, the SEAS (Simvastatin and Ezetimibe in Aortic Stenosis) study with 1,873 patients and follow-up of more than four years, whose results were published recently, failed to demonstrate an effect of treatment with simvastatin and ezetimibe on the incidence of serious cardiovascular events including the need for aortic valve replacement, or on progression of the hemodynamic significance of the stenosis.
Current data suggest that, while unable to "decalcify" the aortic valve, statins do reduce the cardiovascular risk of aortic stenosis patients, half of whom have coronary artery disease.