I watched Seth's aortic valve deteriorate over a two year period.
I was first consulted in 2004 to offer an opinion on Seth's heart scan score of 779 and flagrantly abnormal cholesterol patterns, including triglycerides in the 400 mg/dl range. But I heard a murmur, as well, a murmur of a leaky aortic valve, "aortic valve insufficiency."
Over the next two years, I watched Seth's aortic valve worsen, going from mild leakiness to severe.
In 2006-2007, I tiptoed into vitamin D replacement and asked Seth to add some vitamin D. Time passed and Seth's aortic valve got progressively worse.
Over the past year, However, he's maintained a truly healthy level of vitamin D, with blood levels consistently in the 60-70 ng/ml range.
While Seth's last echocardiogram showed a severely leaky aortic valve, the most recent echo showed mild leakiness ("mild aortic insufficiency")--a dramatic reduction.
I continue to see this in many, though not all, patients with aortic valve disease. Though I've more frequently witnessed either stalled progression or reversal of aortic valve stenosis (stiffness), I've now seen a handful of people with aortic valve leakiness (insufficiency) also reverse.
I've posted about this peculiar phenomenon previously:
Aortic valve disease and vitamin D
More on aortic valve disease and vitamin D
Prior to vitamin D, I had NEVER witnessed any aortic valve disease stop or reverse.
A formal trial at some point would be invaluable.