Heart valve disease happens when one or more of thefour valves in your heartdont function properly.
Normally, heart valves separate the chambers of the heart and keep blood flowing in the right direction.
However, heart valve disease doesnt have symptoms in its early stages.
Treatment depends on which key in you have.
Heart valve disease is very common, and even more common in seniors.
Types
There are many different types of heart valve disease.
To understand them, its helpful to know a bit about the four valves in your heart.
ensure to speak with your healthcare provider about the specifics of your valvular heart disease.
Stages and Symptoms
Many people with mild or even moderate heart valve problems dont experience any symptoms.
In fact, it’s possible for you to live for decades with heart valve disease without experiencing symptoms.
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.
Heart valve disease can also develop after infection, especially rheumatic fever.
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 youre under close monitoring.
This is serious open-heart surgery.
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.
Tips for Staying Healthy
Developing heart valve disease is never your fault.
This impacts the hearts ability to pump blood.
Treatment for valve disease can include monitoring, medication, surgery, and nonsurgical procedures.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About heart valve disease.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Heart valve diseases.
Mayo Clinic.Heart valve disease.
