Cardiovascular Disorders of Turner's Syndrome: A Review

A series of cardiovascular abnormalities may be associated with Turner's Syndrome (TS). Over 50% of the reported cardiovascular malformations have been bicuspid aortic valve or coarctation of the aorta alone. or in a combination, which may lead to a higher risk for infective endocarditis. Isolated dilation of the ascending aorta was often seen in TS, while aortic dissection has been increasingly observed in recent years. The aortic root dilation was found more likely to be due to a mesenchymal defect rather than atherosclerotic changes. Women with TS are often hypertensive as a result of aortic abnormality or renal vascular disorder. They have an increased risk of developing neoplasms, such as gonadoblastoma and dysgerminoma, and therefore they may require regular monitoring while receiving hormone therapy. In patients with gonadal dysgenesis, exogenous estrogen treatment poses a problem of connective tissue disorders of the great vessels. To resolve the contradiction between exogenous estrogen therapies and the hold-up of the progression of the connective tissue abnormality is a topic to be coped with. Careful clinical assessment is mandatory in the evaluation of patients with TS with cardiovascular abnormalities.