Overview of Heart Valve Disorders

As people age, the mitral and aortic valves thicken. The aorta becomes stiffer, which increases blood pressure and stress on the aortic valve, and the heart requires additional oxygen to pump blood effectively. These age-related changes may lead to symptoms and complications in older people with heart disease.

The heart valves can malfunction by

Either problem can greatly interfere with the heart's ability to pump blood. Sometimes a valve has both problems. Faulty valves generally create murmurs and other abnormal heart sounds that a doctor can hear with a stethoscope. Faulty valves can be identified by using echocardiography. Often, minor degrees of regurgitation are not detected with a stethoscope but are detected during echocardiography. Doctors often regard this as a normal finding.

Most faulty valves are not severely abnormal, and they do not affect the person in any way. Symptoms may include leg swelling Swelling Swelling is due to excess fluid in the tissues. The fluid is predominantly water. Swelling may be widespread or confined to a single limb or part of a limb. Swelling is often in the feet and... read more , shortness of breath Shortness of Breath Shortness of breath—what doctors call dyspnea—is the unpleasant sensation of having difficulty breathing. People experience and describe shortness of breath differently depending on the cause... read more , palpitations Palpitations Palpitations are the awareness of heartbeats. The sensation may feel like pounding, fluttering, racing, or skipping beats. Other symptoms—for example, chest discomfort or shortness of breath—may... read more , fatigue Fatigue Fatigue is when a person feels a strong need to rest and has so little energy that starting and sustaining activity is difficult. Fatigue is normal after physical exertion, prolonged stress... read more , chest pain Chest Pain Chest pain is a very common complaint. Pain may be sharp or dull, although some people with a chest disorder describe their sensation as discomfort, tightness, pressure, gas, burning, or aching... read more , and fainting Fainting Light-headedness (near syncope) is a sense that one is about to faint. Fainting (syncope) is a sudden, brief loss of consciousness during which the person falls to the ground or slumps in a... read more . Doctors often do periodic check-ups because a few faulty valves worsen over time to the point where intervention (repair or replacement) is required to decrease symptoms or prolong survival. Symptoms are not a reliable guide to the existence and severity of valve problems, so echocardiography Echocardiography and Other Ultrasound Procedures Ultrasonography uses high-frequency (ultrasound) waves bounced off internal structures to produce a moving image. It uses no x-rays. Ultrasonography of the heart (echocardiography) is one of... read more (ultrasonography of the heart) is used to detect problems early. Sometimes doctors use exercise testing Stress Testing Stressing the heart (by exercise or by use of stimulant drugs to make the heart beat faster and more forcibly) can help identify coronary artery disease. In coronary artery disease, blood flow... read more to help monitor people with certain heart valve disorders. In general, neither lifestyle measures nor drug treatment can slow the deterioration of an abnormal valve.

A faulty valve may be repaired or replaced. Repair may require surgery but may sometimes be accomplished during heart catheterization Cardiac Catheterization and Coronary Angiography Cardiac catheterization and coronary angiography are minimally invasive methods of studying the heart and the blood vessels that supply the heart (coronary arteries) without doing surgery. These... read more , particularly when the problem is a valve with stenosis. A stenotic valve can sometimes be stretched open using a procedure called balloon valvuloplasty. In this procedure, a catheter with a balloon at the tip is threaded through a vein or artery into the heart. Once across the faulty valve, the balloon is inflated, separating the valve cusps. This procedure does not require a general anesthetic and allows a quick recovery.

Two types of valves are available for replacement

Mechanical valves last for many years, but people with mechanical valves must take the anticoagulant warfarin for the rest of their lives to prevent blood clots from forming in the valve. Taking an anticoagulant increases a person's risk of spontaneous bleeding, such as in their brain (see Overview of Hemorrhagic Stroke Overview of Hemorrhagic Stroke Hemorrhagic strokes include bleeding within the brain (intracerebral hemorrhage) and bleeding between the inner and outer layers of the tissue covering the brain (subarachnoid hemorrhage). ... read more ). Bioprosthetic valves generally deteriorate and require replacement after 10 to 12 years but do not require use of anticoagulants for more than 3 to 6 months after surgery. Some newer bioprosthetic valves are more durable.

Abnormal valves and all replacement valves can become infected. People with replacement valves need to take prophylactic antibiotics, which are antibiotics taken at certain times (for example, before some dental or medical procedures) in order to prevent bacterial infection of the valves (infective endocarditis Infective Endocarditis Infective endocarditis is an infection of the lining of the heart (endocardium) and usually also of the heart valves. Infective endocarditis occurs when bacteria enter the bloodstream and travel... read more ).

Also, blood clots may form on replacement valves. The blood clots may partially block the valve or break loose and travel through the bloodstream to block arteries elsewhere in the body (for example, causing a stroke).

Doctors use computed tomography and echocardiography to monitor replaced valves.