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World J Cardiol. Mar 26, 2026; 18(3): 114077
Published online Mar 26, 2026. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v18.i3.114077
Published online Mar 26, 2026. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v18.i3.114077
Valvular calcification in liver cirrhosis: A comparison with non-cirrhotic cardiovascular controls
Maja Vuckovic, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology and Intensive Care Unit, Clinical Hospital Merkur, Zagreb 10000, Croatia
Jasenka Grgurić, Frane Paic, Laboratory for Epigenetic and Molecular Medicine, Department of Medical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb 10000, Croatia
Vedran Radonic, Ivana Jurin, Tajana Filipec Kanizaj, Tomislav Letilovic, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb 10000, Croatia
Author contributions: Vuckovic M, Paic F, and Letilovic T designed the research study; Paic F, Radonic V, Grgurić J, Jurin I, and Filipec Kanizaj T performed the investigation and were responsible for the methodology and data curation; Filipec Kanizaj T performed the data validation; Vuckovic M drafted the original manuscript; Grgurić J and Paic F reviewed and edited the manuscript; Letilovic T supervised the study; and all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Clinical Hospital Merkur, approval No. 03/1-4558/2.
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: Technical appendix, statistical code, and dataset available from the corresponding author at fpaic@mef.hr. Consent for data sharing was not obtained but the presented data are anonymized, and risk of identification is low.
Corresponding author: Frane Paic, Associate Professor, Laboratory for Epigenetic and Molecular Medicine, Department of Medical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Šalata 3, Zagreb 10000, Croatia. fpaic@mef.hr
Received: September 11, 2025
Revised: November 14, 2025
Accepted: January 9, 2026
Published online: March 26, 2026
Processing time: 193 Days and 17.2 Hours
Revised: November 14, 2025
Accepted: January 9, 2026
Published online: March 26, 2026
Processing time: 193 Days and 17.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: In a single center observational study of 123 patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) and 123 age- and sex-matched cardiovascular controls, echocardiographic calcium scoring showed that LC - particularly metabolic associated fatty liver disease and alcohol related fatty liver disease - was independently linked to aortic valve calcification, while LC of any etiology strongly predicted mitral annular calcification. Fully adjusted models demonstrated strong discrimination and acceptable calibration, supporting their potential use for risk stratification in LC clinics. These models may help flag high-risk patients who warrant closer echocardiographic surveillance, pending external validation.