Overview
Aortic valve disease is a group of conditions that affect your aortic valve and prevent it from working as it should. Your aortic valve is the “door” that manages blood flow out of your heart to the rest of your body. This valve allows blood to travel from your heart’s main pumping chamber (left ventricle) into a large artery called your aorta. From there, your blood travels into many artery branches to supply oxygen and nutrients to your organs and tissues.
Your aortic valve opens and closes each time your heart beats. It needs to open widely to create enough space for blood to pass through. It also has to close tightly to prevent blood from flowing backward. If your valve has problems with either or both of these tasks, you have aortic valve disease.
There are two types of aortic valve disease:
- Aortic valve stenosis (aortic stenosis). This is a narrowed aortic valve. Your valve can’t open as widely as it should. As a result, less blood can pass through.
- Aortic valve regurgitation (aortic insufficiency). This is a leaky aortic valve. Your valve can’t close as tightly as it should. So, some blood leaks backward.
It’s important to know that you could have one or both types of aortic valve disease and not realize it for a long time. That’s because symptoms often don’t show up until after the disease has progressed. Learning about aortic valve disease can help you catch problems early and receive necessary treatment.
Who does aortic valve disease affect?
Aortic valve disease can affect anyone, but it typically affects people who:
- Are over age 60.
- Were born with a bicuspid aortic valve.
- Were born with congenital heart disease.
- Underwent radiation therapy to the chest for cancers, including Hodgkin Lymphoma.
- Have rheumatic heart disease.
Your risk of aortic valve disease increases the older you get. In the U.S., about 1 in 50 people over age 65 have aortic stenosis. Some estimates show 1 in 20 people have at least a mild form of aortic regurgitation.
About 1 in 3 people born with a bicuspid aortic valve develop aortic stenosis. This narrowing typically happens 10 to 20 years sooner compared with people who have normal valve anatomy.
How common is aortic valve disease?
Aortic valve disease is the most common form of heart valve disease in the U.S. and Europe. It’s also the most dangerous. Aortic valve disease causes about 6 in 10 deaths due to heart valve disease. That’s more than all the deaths from mitral, pulmonary and tricuspid valve disease combined.
Symptoms
When to see a doctor
Complications
- High blood pressure.
- Diabetes.
- Heart failure.
- Some types of heart valve disease.
Prevention
- Control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
- Don't smoke or use tobacco.
- Eat a diet that's low in salt and saturated fat.
- Exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week unless your health care team says not to.
- Get good sleep. Adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours daily.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Reduce and manage stress.
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