Asthma Tied to Higher Risk of Heart Valve Disease, BMJ Study Finds
China: A large-scale prospective cohort study published in Heart, a BMJ journal, has revealed that asthma may raise the risk of developing degenerative valvular heart diseases (VHD), including conditions affecting the aortic, mitral, and pulmonary valves. The research was conducted by Dr. Zuoxiang Wang and colleagues from the Department of Cardiology at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College Fuwai Hospital, Beijing, China.
Asthma, a chronic respiratory condition marked by airway inflammation, has previously been associated with various cardiovascular disorders. However, its link to degenerative VHD remained unclear. This study aimed to address that gap by exploring whether individuals with asthma have a higher likelihood of developing these valve-related conditions.
The investigation analyzed data from 483,735 participants in the UK Biobank, all of whom were free of VHD at the outset. The median age was 56.5 years, and 45.2% were men. Asthma status was self-reported at enrollment, while cases of VHD were identified through hospital records and mortality databases using ICD-10 codes. Researchers applied Cox proportional hazards models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for different VHD subtypes, adjusting for multiple demographic, lifestyle, and clinical factors. Additional analyses considered asthma medication use, disease duration, and competing health risks.
Over a median follow-up period of 13.8 years, the study recorded 5,388 cases of aortic stenosis (AS), 2,650 cases of aortic regurgitation (AR), 6,088 cases of mitral regurgitation (MR), and 821 cases of pulmonary regurgitation (PR). Findings demonstrated a consistent association between asthma and higher risks of several degenerative valve diseases:
- Aortic stenosis: HR 1.31
- Aortic regurgitation: HR 1.24
- Mitral regurgitation: HR 1.19
- Pulmonary regurgitation: HR 1.34
The association with AR weakened after adjusting for asthma medication use, with HR dropping to 1.12. The results remained robust even after accounting for asthma duration and excluding participants with existing cardiovascular disease.
The authors suggest that the observed association could point to a shared inflammatory pathway between asthma and degenerative VHD. Chronic inflammation in asthma may influence structural changes in heart valves over time, thereby predisposing patients to valvular damage.
“These findings underscore the importance of increased cardiovascular monitoring in individuals with asthma,” the researchers noted. “Early recognition and timely management could potentially reduce the burden of valve-related complications in this population.”
With asthma affecting millions worldwide, this study highlights the need for clinicians to consider cardiovascular risks beyond traditional factors when caring for these patients.
Reference:
Wang Z, Qian X, Lv J, et alAsthma and risk of degenerative valvular heart disease: a prospective cohort studyHeart Published Online First: 19 August 2025. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2024-325575
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