A Significant Unmet Need

• Aortic Stenosis (AS) prevalence is 4-5% in people more than 75 years old¹
• There are more than 300,000 people with severe AS worldwide
• More than 30% of all patients with symptomatic severe AS are not referred or are contraindicated from current surgical valve replacement²

Causes

Severe AS is often not preventable and may be related to age, buildup of calcium deposits on the aortic valve, radiation therapy, medications, or a history of rheumatic fever.

Symptom Identification

Proper identification of severe AS is key to effective long-term symptom management and treatment. Severe AS is most commonly indicated by some or all of the following symptoms:

• Chest pain or tightness
• Feeling faint or fainting with activity
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Heart palpitations
• Heart murmur

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References

1. Nkomo VT, Gardin JM, Skelton TN, Gottdiener JS, Scott CG, Enriquez-Sarano M. Burden of valvular heart diseases: a population-based study. Lancet. 2006;368:1005 -11.
2. Iung B, et al. Decision-making in elderly patients with severe aortic stenosis: Why are so many denied surgery? European Heart Journal. 2005;26, 2714–2720.