Heart valve diseases
The causes of heart valve disease are usually age-related degeneration. With age, they thicken due to calcification. The aorta becomes less elastic, increasing blood pressure and the strain on the mitral valve, and the heart needs additional oxygen to pump enough blood.
The most common heart valve disorders are:
- aortic valve stenosis (constriction)
- mitral valve insufficiency (inability to close properly)
- aortic valve insufficiency (inability to close properly)
- mitral valve stenosis (constriction)
- Tricuspid valve insufficiency
The heart valves of the right heart are very rarely affected by changes. The most common heart valve defects are aortic valve stenosis and mitral valve insufficiency.
These age-related changes can, once they are severe, lead to symptoms that hinder everyday life and even to heart failure.