Tissue Valve Calcification
Tissue Valve Calcification
Physical activity, even fabulous conditioning, has no effect on progression, nor does the lack of it seem to.
My understanding of the mechanisms involved is that they are chemical in nature, and younger people are certainly more chemically active. They heal faster, they react more quickly and violently to toxins (and recover faster), and they respond more rapidly and reliably to prescription drugs.
There are chemicals in the blood that naturally bond with certain other chemicals that they run across as they pass through the body. Among other things, this seems to function as a bodily response to the presence of dead or foreign objects. These objects often seem to have attractive chemicals on their surfaces which encourgage bonding.
Once the blood-borne chemicals attach to them and form primary bonds, secondary chemicals are attracted to the new compounds on the valve's surface. These secondary substances include minerals, such as calcium and phosphorus used to build and repair bones and teeth, which bind together into a mineral called apatite.
Apatite is the "calcification" referred to in valve literature. Why would it benefit the body for this hard coating to occur? The layers of apatite that are formed effectively "protect" the body from the dead or foreign object, keeping it from becoming infected or leaching harmful chemicals into the body as it deteriorates. Once coated enough, the object is functionally inert and isolated form the body.
Manufacturers of tissue valves seem to agree with this notion, and these attractive surface chemicals are the primary targets of their anticalcification treatments. Anticalcification treatments chemically bind or remove the alluring surface chemicals that would attract the blood-borne binding molecules.
Apatite is a general term for the type of mineral from which bones and teeth are made. In this instance, however, it's more similar to the crusty minerization found on your plumbing fixtures. I've often thought it would be great if they could run some vinegar or CLR through the valve and clean it like a drip coffeemaker or an encrusted showerhead. Unfortunately, vinegar doesn't go into the bloodstream as vinegar at all, and CLR and similar products are tragically toxic.
There have been theories trying to implicate cholesterol in the cacification of the valves, but apatite and the crunchy chemicals found on valves are not typical of cholesterol deposits, which are frequently soft by contrast. Moreover, having a calcified valve is not even a weak indicator for cholesterol deposits elsewhere in the arteries. Bicuspid aortic valves are often a site for apatitic encroachment. However, one of the frequent hallmarks of a bicuspid aortic valve is abnormally clean arteries.
Is that the exact answer? Probably not. No one quite knows what the precise mechanism is, but I doubt that it is far off the mark. It's a reasonable explanation, better than any that I've found, it does tie in with age, and it does tie into what the manufacturers are doing to protect their products and extend their valves' useful lives.
Best wishes,
Kate
