In a new study, researchers found that different minerals cause aortic heart valve blockage in men and women.
They found strong differences in the mineral deposits found in aortic valves of men and women who suffer from stenosis, a life-threatening heart condition that a narrowing of the aortic valve opening causes.
The findings could change how doctors diagnose and treat heart disease.
The research was conducted by a team at McGill University.
In the study, the researchers used the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan to analyze damaged heart valves from patients who had undergone transplants.
They unexpectedly found that the minerals are different in composition and shape and that they grow slower in women.
Heart disease remains the global leading cause of death in both men and women.
With 280,000 heart valves replaced every year in Canada due to stenosis, the work demonstrates the need to develop different diagnostic and therapeutic approaches when treating aortic stenosis in men or women.
In order to make that happen, the team will return to the CLS to further examine this heart disease and understand the precise composition of the mineral deposits they found in women.
They say that understanding what the minerals are could definitely help to develop a cure.
It’s possible that there could be easier ways to target these minerals and dissolve them for women.
One author of the study is Marta Cerruti, an associate professor in the materials engineering department.
The study is published in Acta Biomaterialia.
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