Key Facts
There are four types of valve disease:
- Aortic Valve Disease
When the aortic valve — the valve that allows blood to flow from the left ventricle in the heart out to the body — is leaky or narrowed, a patient has aortic valve disease. This can happen naturally as a person ages. When the aortic valve is leaky or narrowed, your heart must work harder to get oxygen-rich blood to your body.
- Pulmonary Valve Disease
Like the aortic valve, the pulmonary valve — the valve that allows blood to flow from the heart to the lungs — can become leaky or narrowed. In severe cases, the valve may become completely closed, which is called pulmonary atresia. The most common causes of problems with the pulmonary valve are congenital heart defects such as pulmonary stenosis, pulmonary atresia and Tetralogy of Fallot, or pulmonary hypertension.
- Mitral Valve Disease
The mitral valve is the valve between the top chamber (atrium) and the bottom chamber (ventricle) on the left side of your heart. When something is wrong with the mitral valve, blood can get pushed back into the atrium, and there won’t be enough oxygenated blood in the left ventricle to go to the body. If mitral valve disease is untreated, it can result in heart failure or arrhythmias (problems with the heart’s rhythm). Mitral valves can have stenosis or be leaky, like the aortic and pulmonary valves, but the flaps on the valve can also bulge and not close tightly, called mitral valve prolapse. Mitral valve prolapse tends to run in families and has no known cause.
- Tricuspid Valve Disease
When the valve going from the top chamber (atrium) to the bottom chamber (ventricle) on the right side of the heart is leaky, narrowed (uncommon),
or closed completely (atresia), a patient has tricuspid valve disease. Tricuspid valve disease may be caused by the same causes as other valve diseases,
but it also may be caused by pulmonary hypertension (high pressure in lungs), heart failure or cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle). When a person has tricuspid valve disease, blood flows back into the right atrium, and this can cause an emergency medical situation or weaken the heart over time.
Signs & Symptoms
- Heart murmur
- Chest pain
- Abdominal swelling
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Swelling in your feet and ankles
- Dizziness
- Fainting
- Irregular heartbeat
Managing Valve Disease
- Medication
- Balloon Vavluloplasty
- Annuloplasty
- Transcatheter Valve Placement
- Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)
- Cerebral Embolic Protection with TAVR
- Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Replacement
- Mitral Valve Clip Procedure
- Surgical Valve Repair or Replacement
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
- How severe is my valve disease?
- What might happen if I don’t do anything?
- What changes should I make to my diet and exercise routine?
- Are there medications I can take to help me feel better?
- What treatment options are available for me?
- What are the risks and benefits of each option?
- What is my recovery time with each option?
- Who is the best person to perform the procedure or surgery?