A research consortium tracks down a genetic variant that doubles the risk of buildup in the aortic valve that can cause heart failure, stroke and sudden cardiac death.

A team of researchers have pinpointed a gene that may be responsible for double a patient’s risk of calcium buildup in the aortic valve, a condition linked with heart failure, stroke and sudden cardiac death.
The finding may lead to new research and therapies, which are very limited for patients with narrowing, or stenosis, of the aortic valve.