Aortic valve calcium and risk of severe aortic stenosis in people over 75
Official title: Aortic Valve Calcium Prevalence, Long-term Risk Factors, and progression to Severe Aortic Stenosis Among Persons >75 Years Old
Funded at Johns Hopkins University · NIH-11252602 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how common calcium on the aortic valve is in people over 75 and which factors make it more likely to progress to severe aortic narrowing.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2025 |
| Project end | November 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $116,438 |
| NIH project number | 5R21HL172138-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11252602 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults aged 75 or older, especially those who have had chest CT scans or who have risk factors such as high lipoprotein(a) or elevated hsCRP.
✕Less likely to help
People under 75 or those without clinical follow-up, prior imaging, or access to the cohorts being studied would be unlikely to directly benefit from this project.
What this research studies
We will use chest CT scans to measure calcium on the aortic valve and link those findings to long-term health records in older adults. We will study blood markers like hsCRP and lipoprotein(a), past medical history, and other risk factors to see which ones are tied to valve calcium and to worsening valve narrowing. We will combine these measurements into a simple risk algorithm to identify people over 75 who are most likely to develop severe aortic stenosis. The work builds on large, long-running population studies to follow how valve calcium progresses over years.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help doctors identify older adults at high risk for severe aortic stenosis earlier so they can be monitored or offered preventive treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Previous trials and subgroup analyses (including SEAS and FOURIER) and cohort work have linked valve calcium and lipid-related pathways to lower rates of severe aortic stenosis, so this approach builds on promising but not yet definitive evidence.
Where this research is happening
-
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Whelton, Seamus Paul — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Whelton, Seamus Paul
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.