Editorial Aortic stenosis: even mild disease is significant

See doi:10.1016/j.ehj.2003.12.002, for the article to which this editorial refers The spectrum of calcific aortic valve disease ranges from aortic sclerosis, without obstruction to ventricular outflow, to severe aortic stenosis. The natural history of symptomatic and asymptomatic severe aortic valve sten-osis has been evaluated by Doppler echocardiography in several retrospective and prospective studies. In addition, there is substantial data on the rate of haemo-dynamic progression of aortic stenosis of all degrees of severity. However, there is much less data on clinical outcomes in adults with asymptomatic mild-moderate stenosis.1–3 Knowledge of the expected outcomes with mild aortic valve disease is especially important given that aortic sclerosis is present in about 25 % of adults ove