Comparison of clinical outcomes between bioresorbable vascular stents versus conventional drug-eluting and metallic stents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract Little is known about the level of public knowledge and concern towards aortic valve disease. Therefore, a survey was conducted to evaluate the awareness of the general population regarding different diseases with special emphasis on aortic stenosis (AS). A total of 8,860 people aged 60 years or older in nine European countries took part in the survey. Cancer was the disease that respondents were most concerned about (27.5%), while only 1.7% were most concerned about heart valve disease. Seventeen percent (17%) of survey participants claimed to be familiar with heart valve disease, yet only 7% could correctly identify AS; 44.3% of respondents knew the correct number of valves in the human heart. After providing some general information about AS, 41.1% of respondents then said they were more concerned about the condition; 4.5% even recognised the symptoms in themselves. Over half of the respondents (54.2%) claimed that their general practitioners only rarely or never use the stethoscope to check their heart, which may eventually lead to an underdiagnosis of AS. Despite its high prevalence, high morbidity and mortality, as well as good treatment options, the vast majority of respondents were neither concerned nor fully aware of AS.