Top in cardiology: Oral calcium supplementation; childhood abuse and cardiovascular risk

Patients with aortic stenosis who received oral calcium supplementation had lower survival rates and were more likely to need aortic valve replacement than those who did not receive supplementation, according to recent data.

Researchers also reported that cardiovascular mortality was higher among older patients with mild to moderate aortic stenosis who received oral calcium supplementation and did not undergo aortic valve replacement. It was the top story in cardiology last week.

The second top story demonstrated the effects of childhood abuse exposure on future health outcomes. Study findings showed that occasional or frequent childhood abuse was associated with risk for incident type 2 diabetes and hyperlipidemia in adulthood, but the risk varied by race and sex.

Read these and more top stories in cardiology below:

Supplemental calcium worsens risk for death, AVR in aortic stenosis

Oral calcium supplementation with or without vitamin D was associated with lower survival and a greater need for aortic valve replacement among older patients with mild to moderate aortic stenosis, researchers reported. Read more.

Childhood abuse exposure predicts risk for hyperlipidemia, type 2 diabetes

Exposure to occasional or frequent childhood abuse was associated with risk for incident type 2 diabetes and hyperlipidemia in adulthood, according to study findings published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Read more.

Septal myectomy tied to lower long-term mortality vs. alcohol ablation for obstructive HCM

Alcohol septal ablation for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was associated with greater rate of 10-year all-cause death compared with septal myectomy, researchers reported. Read more.

Assess, address social determinants of health to close ‘widening gap’ in cardiology care

When it comes to cardiovascular health and outcomes, data show that a person’s ZIP code is often more predictive than a diagnostic code, correlating with everything from access to care and medications to mortality after hospital admission. Read more.

Vaccination reduces SARS-CoV-2 infection, mortality risk in heart transplant recipients

Unvaccinated heart transplant recipients experienced greater risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection, related hospitalization and death compared with those who were vaccinated, according to a brief report published in JAMA Cardiology. Read more.