Decreased levels of soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products in aortic valve calcification patients.

The soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products (sRAGE) shows a close relationship with atherosclerosis. The goal of this study was to compare the levels of sRAGE in patients with and without aortic valve calcification and to investigate the relationship between them. After transthoracic echocardiographic examination, 120 male patients with aortic valve calcification and 120 age-matched male controls without aortic valve calcification were included in our study. sRAGE levels were compared between groups. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease were significantly higher in the aortic valve calcification group than in the control group (63.3 versus 45%, P = 0.01, and 65 versus 51.7%, P < 0.01, respectively). The levels of sRAGE were lower in the aortic valve calcification group than in the control group (203.8 ± 34.6 versus 324.7 ± 41.6 pg/mL, P < 0.01). In multivariate analysis, age, coronary artery disease, and sRAGE levels were independent predictors of aortic valve calcification. Our study demonstrates that sRAGE, which was proven to be a potential marker of atherosclerosis, might have a role in the development of aortic valve calcification.