REVIEWARTICLE The pathophysiological basis of pharmacological interventions in CAVD

# The Author(s) 2011. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) results in aortic valve stenosis and is one of the most common cardiac diseases in both Western and developing countries. The bur-den of this disease is expected to increase rapidly in the future, but there are still no relevant pharmacological therapies avail-able and aortic valve replacement remains the sole definite therapy. This review presents an overview of the most com-mon causes of CAVD, followed by current debates and trials related to the onset and progression of this disease. Several differences and similarities between the different causes of CAVD are presented. Additionally, stages of CAVD are com-pared with stages in atherosclerosis. Finally, future directions for research on CAVD will be discussed