Patients with mitral annulus calcification are at more than double the risk for mitral valve dysfunction, a study published June 1 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings found.
Researchers retrospectively reviewed data from over 24,000 patients who underwent echocardiography in 2015. They found that 23 percent of patients had mitral annulus calcification.
Key findings:
- Mitral valve dysfunction was observed in 16 percent of those patients.
- Fifty-four percent of patients with mitral annulus calcification and mitral valve dysfunction were female.
- Mortality was highest in patients with mitral annulus calcification and mitral valve dysfunction.