Foreword

Article Outline

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The incidence of calcific aortic stenosis (AS) is increasing, partly because people are living longer. It is being diagnosed more commonly and earlier in the course of the disease because of awareness of the disorder and more widespread availability and earlier routine use of echocardiography/Doppler. Aortic valve replacement for calcific AS is the most common valve replacement that is being performed in developed countries and also in developing countries.

At the same time we have recognized that calcific AS is not a “degenerative” disorder. It is an active biological process that is related to inflammation and has many of the risk factors associated with atherosclerosis. As a result, there is considerable interest in determining whether statins can slow down, or even reverse, the process. So far, the results have not been definitive. The Cardiovascular Group at the Katholieke Universiteit in Leuven, Belgium are recognized experts in the field; they have provided a careful, comprehensive, and critical review of the available studies. It has 98 references. At Leuven, the professors from multidisciplinary specialties have collaborated to produce this excellent review for which the members of the Editorial Board and I are grateful. We also are obliged to Dr. Rajamannan^⁎ for her scholarly comments.

• ⁎ Nalini Marie Rajamannan, MD, is Valve Director, Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute and Associate Professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL.