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Aortic stenosis is particularly common among elderly patients. To determine the rate of disease progression, this retrospective study of 394 consecutive older patients with valvular aortic stenosis compared baseline echocardiographic examinations with those performed at least one year later The subjects were identified from patients at the Cleveland Clinic who had echocardiograms for various clinical reasons from 1986 to 1992. Over a mean of 37 months, the mean gradient across the aortic valve increased by an average of 6.3 mm Hg per year, and the end-systolic diameter of the left ventricle increased by 1.9 mm per year. The rate of increase in gradient was slower in people with more severe stenosis at baseline. An increase in mitral regurgi…