prevalence of bicuspid aortic valves

Q: The bicuspid aortic valve is more common in males.

A) True
B) False



Answer: A

The bicuspid aortic valve is common in about 1 percent of the population. The male-to-female ratio has been described as 2 to 3:1. The Copenhagen Baby Heart Study which screened more than 25,0000 babies found the prevalence of bicuspid aortic valve found it in 0.8 percent of the babies with a 2:1 male-to-female ratio.

Said that few subsets of patients may have a higher prevalence of bicuspid aortic valves like in coarctation of the aorta 30 to 50 percent of patients may have it, and in females with Turner syndrome, it can be up to 30 percent.


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References:


1. Braverman AC, Cheng A. The bicuspid aortic valve and associated aortic disease. In: Valvular Heart Disease, 5th ed, Otto CM, Bonow RO (Eds), Saunders/Elsevier 2021. p. 197.


2. Sillesen AS, Vøgg O, Pihl C, et al. Prevalence of Bicuspid Aortic Valve and Associated Aortopathy in Newborns in Copenhagen, Denmark. JAMA 2021; 325:561.