What is "valvular heart disease"

n. heart disease caused by stenosis of the cardiac valves and obstructed blood flow or caused by degeneration and blood regurgitation

Valvular heart disease is any disease process involving one or more of the four valves of the heart (the aortic and mitral valves on the left and the pulmonary and tricuspid valves on the right). These conditions occur largely as a result of aging. Most people are in their late 50s when diagnosed, and more than one in ten people over 75 have it.

Early detection may improve outcomes from surgery.

Collectively and anatomically, the valves are part of the dense connective tissue makeup of the heart known as the cardiac skeleton. Valve problems may be congenital (inborn) or acquired (due to another cause later in life). Treatment may be with medication but often (depending on the severity) involves valve repair or replacement (insertion of an artificial heart valve). Specific situations include those where additional demands are made on the circulation, such as in pregnancy.