Bovine Valves and Calcium

[Jkm7]

Hope those with tissue valves will share.........

Have any of you who have a tissue valve been told by any of your doctors to avoid taking calcium supplements? I know calcium supplements and calcification of tissue valves have been discussed on this forum before but I'm hoping some will answer my direct question.

Thanks.

 

[ElectLive]

I don't need calcium supplements, but I asked about it anyway. My own cardiologist and two others I asked at the Cleveland Clinic said the same thing: calcium supplementation has never been proven to accelerate valve calcification, absolutely no reason for those that do need supplements to specifically avoid.

This has been discussed before, as you say, and Bob (tobagotwo) has posted some good info before on the complexities of the actual valve "calcification" which is probably a poorly chosen term for it given all the other components in play. In any case, though, it's still hard to pass things such as this off as simple myth, particularly when they make so much sense. But on the other hand, there is a difference between sound theory and clinical fact. I've done enough research into this to reach the conclusion that I didn't want to reach a conclusion anymore! :biggrin2: Seriously, though, in situations such as these, in the absence of definitive evidence, I usually tend to lean toward the majority opinion of the experts. There's been no offical "vote", per se, but the absence of any calcium restrictions in any official valve related medical guideline seems to me to only confirm the tendencies of those medical professional I've spoken with first hand.

You know, I remember one of Bob's closing points on one of the old threads...something to the effect of: if calcium supplements really did accelerate calcification, there sure would be a lot more folks here in need of replacement, and certainly the experts in the field would have put a stop to it by now. Makes perfect sense, and sounds great, and he's probably right. On the other hand, something very similar probably has been said before about something else entirely, but equally important like this, that later turned out to be completely disproven. So who knows for sure. But I'm still with Bob.

Thank you for bringing this up, it is important, and here's what I wish: for anyone who has a doctor telling them NOT to take calcium supplements, next time ask them why and what their specific research is that is guiding them in that decision. I haven't found a doctor doing so yet, but know they certainly exist, so if I happen upon one, I will follow my own "homework" request and report back!

 

[ottagal]

None of my doctors suggested that I avoid taking calcium supplements. When I asked one surgeon at follow up about this he said there was no conclusive evidence to recommend that his patients with bovine valves avoid supplementation.

Thanks for the 'refresher' Elective.
Always good to bring these subject up.

 

[Jkm7]

Thanks so much, ElectLive.
What a really helpful post.
It has been suggested I take calcium supplements as is true for so many females 'of an age' and I am inclined to do so but admit to a certain uneasiness about it. It's a balancing act and those of us with these valve issues don't always have easy choices.

 

[Rachel]

Thanks ElectLive! Very helpful information on this topic, (and thanks for the link to this post)! I've also been wondering about my own use of calcium supplements.

Rachel

 

[ElectLive]

It probably would be good to compile some of the best of the old threads for additional reading on this topic, but unfortunately I'm short on time. A quick suggestion, though, for anyone wanting to learn more: just do a search on calcium and apatite...

Also, not to discount the other side of this issue, there are some medical articles postulating that calcium supplements could trigger "premature" calcification. But most of what I've seen were basically this scenario: a case study of one, and something like these circumstances: an older patient with a recent bioprosthetic valve impant begins taking calcium supplements, then however many years later, the patient's valve has calcified prematurely and needs to be replaced....given no other explanation, the supplements must have been the cause. Well, given those circumstances, certainly that might be interpreted as as the reason for the premature failure.

But not all patients get expected longevity, at any age. The results graphs always show a small percentage of cases failing "prematurely". Given how many older patients take calcium supplements, obvoiusly coincidence certainly could have entered in. Someone could do a case study of one on me and determine that the fact that I consumed/drank 2 gallons of milk a week into adulthood was the reason my bicuspid valve was calcified to near severe stenosis at age 35. But then I guess all the 20 year olds here would have to be drinking 4 gallons a week! :biggrin2:

Anyway, I've rambled on enough, let's at least get to something specific. Here is an official Mayo study I ran across before that references some of this (somewhat indirect, since it assesses native valves, and is bundled up with coronary arteries, but much of the information is still relevent, and more imporantly, hopefully this means more comprehensive study will take place to more directly benefit our patient group: http://www.jabfm.org/content/22/6/610.full