Heart Valve Disease

Helping You Live Well with Heart Valve Disease 

If one of your heart valves doesn’t work properly, you’ll need ongoing care from a cardiovascular specialist.

Even if you don’t have symptoms, your condition makes your heart work harder. And when left untreated, heart valve disease can cause serious complications like congestive heart failure and stroke.

Fortunately, heart valve disease is treatable. And you’ll find all the treatments—and support—you may need at Emory Healthcare.

The Emory Heart & Vascular team includes doctors who specialize in heart valve disease. They’re skilled at distinguishing valve problems from other types of heart disease. They also have the experience to know which treatment options are is best suited to your unique condition and will work with you to determine the best option.

What Is Heart Valve Disease? 

Blood enters and exits your heart and lungs through four different valves. These valves, which keep your blood moving in the right direction, have individual names:

  • Aortic valve
  • Mitral valve
  • Pulmonary valve
  • Tricuspid valve

Each of these valves has leaflets (tiny flaps of tissue) that open and close. Every time your heart pumps, these leaflets open to let blood flow through them. Then, they quickly shut so blood cannot flow backward in the wrong direction.

If you have heart valve disease, it means one or more of your valves are no longer working properly.

Certain heart valve disease treatments can improve your symptoms or prevent or treat complications (such as a stroke). Other treatments repair or replace your damaged valve. Emory Heart & Vascular offers every nonsurgical and surgical treatment option for heart valve disease.

What Causes Heart Valve Disease? 

Heart valve disease may be caused by:

  • Atherosclerosis (narrowing or hardening of the arteries)
  • Congenital heart disease (heart problems that are present at birth)
  • Endocarditis (inflammation of the lining inside the heart)
  • Formation of calcium deposits around the valve
  • Rheumatic fever
  • Wear and tear over time 

Types of Heart Valve Disease: Aortic Stenosis, Mitral Valve Prolapse and More

There are different types of heart valve disease. Each is named for the type of valve affected and how it’s affected.

If a valve becomes stiff and narrow, you have what’s known as “stenosis.” With stenosis, it’s harder for blood to move through the valve.

If a valve’s leaflets don’t close all the way, you have a condition called “regurgitation” or “insufficiency.” This is a fancy way of saying you have a leaky heart valve. Some of your blood leaks backward through the faulty leaflets.

Here at Emory Heart & Vascular, we treat all types of heart valve disease, including:

Symptoms of Heart Valve Disease 

You may not have any symptoms in the early stages of heart valve disease. But as your condition worsens, you may develop:

  • Chest pain, especially after physical activity
  • Dizziness or fainting
  • Fatigue
  • Palpitations (feeling like your heart is skipping beats or pounding really hard)
  • Shortness of breath
  • Swelling in your abdomen
  • Swollen ankles or feet  

Diagnosing Heart Valve Disease 

To confirm whether you have heart valve disease, your doctor will perform (or order) the following:

  • A medical history: They’ll ask questions about your symptoms, including how long you’ve had them and how they affect you. They’ll also review your family history of heart problems and your own medical history.
  • Physical exam: Your doctor will listen to your heart and lungs. They’re checking for sounds that indicate a narrowed or leaky valve or fluid in your lungs. They’ll also assess different parts of your body, such as your ankles, to look for swelling.
  • Diagnostic tests: They’ll order one or more tests to look for structural or functional heart valve problems. These tests may include an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound), stress test (an echocardiogram performed after you exercise) or MRI scan. 

Lowering Your Risk of Heart Valve Disease 

With heart valve disease, there are some risk factors you can’t control. For example, your risk of heart valve disease increases with age—and you can’t avoid getting older.

But some risk factors are within your control.

For example, you can lower your chance of developing heart valve disease by:

  • Eating a heart-healthy diet
  • Exercising regularly
  • Getting prompt treatment for any type of infection (certain infections can damage your heart valves if they’re not treated properly)
  • Maintaining a healthy weight
  • Quitting smoking
  • Reducing or avoiding alcohol use
Doctors from Emory Heart & Vascular can help you make the lifestyle changes necessary to keep your heart healthy—and keep you feeling your best.

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