Abstract

Vascular calcification, both in the coronary and in the peripheral arteries, is associated with increased cardiovascular (CV) risk. However, agents that prevent vascular calcification (e.g. estrogens or calcimimetic agents) might have neutral or detrimental effects on CV events. Moreover, statins and antihypertensive agents do not appear to modify vascular calcification, despite their established benefits on CV disease prevention. On the other hand, recent data suggest that microRNAs play a role in the regulation of vascular calcification. It is therefore possible that modulation of the expression of microRNAs might represent a useful strategy for preventing or delaying the progression of this process.

Keywords: Vascular calcification, cardiovascular risk, microRNA, statins, coronary artery calcium, aortic stenosis.