Myeloid Cells in Aortic Valve Stenosis
Myeloid Cells in Aortic Valve Stenosis
Investigators plan to characterize systemic inflammation and circulating immune cells in
 participants with moderate and severe calcific aortic valve disease and matched healthy
 controls.
Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is the most common type of valvular heart disease in the
 Western world. Due to the aging of the population, the impact of this disorder is expected to
 further increase in the next decades. The underlying pathophysiology remains incompletely
 defined and there are currently no effective medical treatments capable of altering its
 course, identifying a major unmet need in this growing population of patients.

 Based on the similarities between CAVD and atherosclerosis in pathophysiology and shared risk
 factors, it is now hypothesized that activation of the innate immune system contributes to
 the development of CAVD. Therefore, the investigators will perform an observational study to
 assess the role of activation of the innate immune system in CAVD.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Age > 18 years

 -  Moderate to severe degenerative aortic valve stenosis as defined by transthoracic
 echocardiography according to the 2017 ESC/EACTS guidelines for the management of
 valvular heart disease.

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Auto-inflammatory or auto-immune diseases

 -  Use of anti-inflammatory drugs

 -  Vaccination less than one month before inclusion

 -  Bone marrow transplantation in medical history

 -  Active hematological disease.