Arterial calcification

What it means

Pathological deposition of calcium salts in one or more arteries.

Most individuals aged over 60 years have progressively enlarging deposits of calcium mineral in their major arteries. This vascular calcification reduces aortic and arterial elastance, which impairs cardiovascular hemodynamics, resulting in substantial morbidity and mortality in the form of hypertension, aortic stenosis, cardiac hypertrophy, myocardial and lower-limb ischemia, congestive heart failure, and compromised structural integrity.The severity and extent of mineralization reflect atherosclerotic plaque burden and strongly and independently predict cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. (From PMID:18519861).

Rare diseases that can present with this3

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category