Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTypesStages and SymptomsCauses and Risk FactorsWhat Happens if Heart Valve Problems Go Untreated?MedicationSurgery and Non-Surgical OptiosnTips for Staying Healthy
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Types
Stages and Symptoms
Causes and Risk Factors
What Happens if Heart Valve Problems Go Untreated?
Medication
Surgery and Non-Surgical Optiosn
Tips for Staying Healthy
Heart valve disease happens when one or more of thefour valves in your heartdon’t function properly. Normally, heart valves separate the chambers of the heart and keep blood flowing in the right direction. If they allow blood to flow backward or make it difficult for blood to move forward, you may experience symptoms. However, heart valve disease doesn’t have symptoms in its early stages.
There are many types of valve disease, including mitral valve prolapse, mitral valve regurgitation, leaky heart valve, and mitral stenosis. Treatment depends on which type you have. Heart valve disease is very common, and even more common in seniors.
There are many different types of heart valve disease. To understand them, it’s helpful to know a bit about the four valves in your heart. These are seals that separate the four chambers of the heart, including the left and right atria (top chambers) and the left and right ventricles (bottom chambers). The four valves are:
All types of heart valve disease occur when one or more of the heart’s four valves don’t open or close properly.Here’s an overview of the most common types of heart valve disease:
A Word From VerywellJust because you have valvular heart disease does not mean that you need surgery, though in severe cases, this may be required. Make sure to speak with your healthcare provider about the specifics of your valvular heart disease.—CHRISTOPHER LEE, MD
A Word From Verywell
Just because you have valvular heart disease does not mean that you need surgery, though in severe cases, this may be required. Make sure to speak with your healthcare provider about the specifics of your valvular heart disease.—CHRISTOPHER LEE, MD
Just because you have valvular heart disease does not mean that you need surgery, though in severe cases, this may be required. Make sure to speak with your healthcare provider about the specifics of your valvular heart disease.
—CHRISTOPHER LEE, MD
Many people with mild or even moderate heart valve problems don’t experience any symptoms. In fact, you can live for decades with heart valve disease without experiencing symptoms.
If symptoms do appear, they most often include:
Diagnosis and Stages of Heart Valve Disease
Your healthcare provider can diagnose heart valve disease with tests that look at your heart function. These can include:
After this testing, your healthcare provider will diagnose you with one of the four stages of heart valve disease:
Some people are born with heart valve disease, while others develop it over time. One of the most common causes of heart valve disease is aging. Over time, calcium deposits build up on the heart valves, making them less efficient. This is why about 5% of people over 65 have heart valve disease, double the number of people in the overall population with the condition.
Other causes of heart valve disease include:
Risk factors for developing heart valve disease include:
Sometimes, your healthcare provider might recommend waiting on treatment for heart valve disease. In this case, leaving the condition untreated is OK as long as you’re under close monitoring. In the most serious cases, heart valve disease can lead to serious or fatal complications, including heart failure, stroke, cardiac arrest, and blood clots. About 25,000 Americans die annually from heart valve disease.Aortic valve disease is the most deadly, causing about61% of valve disease deaths.
Medications to Support Heart Function
Your healthcare provider might recommend medications that treat high blood pressure, control heart rate, and make it easier for your heart to pump blood.These can include:
Heart Valve Disease Surgery and Nonsurgical Options
In some cases, you may need to have your heart valve surgically repaired or replaced. This is serious open-heart surgery.
Alternatively, if you have pulmonary stenosis or aortic stenosis, your healthcare provider might recommend a nonsurgical procedure called a balloon valvuloplasty. During this procedure, a tiny balloon is inserted into a blood vessel in the groin. When it reaches the heart, the balloon is inflated to reopen the valve. That said, minimally invasive surgical options are becoming more common.
Developing heart valve disease is never your fault. However, there are things that you can do to reduce risk and improve your overall heart health, including:
Summary
Heart valve disease happens when one of the four valves in your heart doesn’t open or close properly. This impacts the heart’s ability to pump blood. Many people with heart valve disease have no symptoms, but some experience shortness of breath, chest pain, swelling, and fatigue. Treatment for valve disease can include monitoring, medication, surgery, and nonsurgical procedures. Though valve disease can be deadly, many people with valve disease lead normal lives with treatment and close monitoring.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About heart valve disease.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Heart valve diseases.MedlinePlus.Heart valve diseases.Mayo Clinic.Heart valve disease.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About heart valve disease.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Heart valve diseases.MedlinePlus.Heart valve diseases.Mayo Clinic.Heart valve disease.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About heart valve disease.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Heart valve diseases.MedlinePlus.Heart valve diseases.Mayo Clinic.Heart valve disease.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About heart valve disease.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Heart valve diseases.
MedlinePlus.Heart valve diseases.
Mayo Clinic.Heart valve disease.
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