Your heart beats up to 100,000 times a day and pumps around 2,000 gallons of blood. It has four chambers that squeeze and relax in a coordinated way to pump blood throughout the body. Between each chamber is a valve—thin leaflets of tissue—that keeps blood moving in only one direction and with the right amount of force. These valves prevent blood from leaking or regurgitating backwards by opening only one way and sealing tightly.
Heart valve disease (valve disease) involves damage to one or more of the heart’s four valves. That damage keeps them from opening or closing properly and disrupts blood flow.
As many as 15.3 million Americans have valve disease. Most types of valve disease are serious and can lead to major complications including heart valve failure, blood clots, arrhythmias, stroke, pulmonary hypertension and even death. Fortunately, valve disease is usually successfully treated in people of all ages.
Types of Valve Disease
The type of valve disease depends on which valve is damaged and the type of damage. The most common ways a valve can be damaged include:
- Stenosis – when a valve doesn’t open or close fully and restricts blood flow – often called a sticky, narrowed, or stiff valve.
- Regurgitation – when a valve doesn’t close completely and allows blood to flow backwards – often called an insufficient or leaky valve.
- Prolapse – when the leaflets of the valve bulge backwards instead of sealing smoothly and allowing leakage – often called a floppy valve.
- Congenital abnormalities – when defects from birth like a bicuspid valve or missing valve cause problems with blood flow.
All four valves can have any of these types of damage or abnormalities. Common types of valve disease include aortic stenosis, aortic regurgitation, mitral valve stenosis, mitral regurgitation, pulmonary stenosis, and more.