Conflicting relationship between age-dependent disorders, valvular heart disease and coronary artery disease by covariance structure analysis: Possible contribution of natriuretic peptide

Background: It is conceivable that contemporary valvular heart disease (VHD) is affected largely by an age-dependent atherosclerotic process, which is similar to that observed in coronary artery disease (CAD). However, a comorbid condition of VHD and CAD has not been precisely examined. The first objective of this study was to examine a possible comorbid condition. Provided that there is no comorbidity, the second objective was to search for the possible reasons by using conventional risk factors and plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) because BNP has a potentiality to suppress atherosclerotic development. Methods: The study population consisted of 3,457 patients consecutively admitted to our institution. The possible comorbid condition of VHD and CAD and the factors that influence the comorbidity were examined by covariance structure analysis and multivariate analysis. Results: The distribution of the patients with VHD and those with CAD in the histograms showed that the incidence of VHD and the severity of CAD rose with seniority in appearance. The real statistical analysis was planned by covariance structure analysis. The current path model revealed that aging was associated with VHD and CAD severity (P