Adipocytes in Aortic Stenosis: Association With Clinical and Morphological Indices.

Summary: Have you ever wondered what happens to a heart valve when it gets stiff and narrow? This condition is called aortic stenosis. Scientists recently looked closely at the stiff valves of 25 patients who needed surgery. They found something surprising: fat cells!

In fact, 76% of the valves had fat cells hiding right next to the hard, bony parts of the valve. Patients with more fat cells in their valves tended to be older, weighed less, and had less inflammation in their heart muscle. We don't know yet if these fat cells are helping or hurting the heart, but discovering them is a big step toward understanding and treating heart disease.