Each valve has thin flaps called leaflets that act as one-way doors, opening and closing with each heartbeat. When your valves are healthy, the leaflets open fully to keep blood flowing smoothly in the right direction and close tightly to prevent blood from flowing backwards.
As you get older, you can develop heart valve disease, where one or more of your valves may stop working properly. This condition makes it harder for your heart to pump blood through your body.
The 2 most common are valve stenosis and valve regurgitation. Both can be deadly if left untreated.1
Valve stenosis occurs when your valve leaflets become stiff or fuse together, preventing the valve from opening fully. When the opening gets smaller, blood flow becomes restricted, which means your heart needs to work harder to pump blood to the rest of your body.
Valve regurgitation, also called “leaky valve,” happens when the valve leaflets do not close properly, causing blood to flow or “leak” backwards. As a result, your heart must work harder to push the blood back out.
It is a specific type of aortic valve disease where the leaflets of the aortic valve, which control blood flow from the heart, become stiff and narrowed. This prevents the valve from opening properly, consequently obstructing the flow of blood.
On average, 50% of people will die within 2 years of symptoms starting, if left untreated1
1 in 10 people with heart valve failure may die within 5 weeks without recommended treatment3
Are you or a loved one at risk of heart valve disease? Answer these questions to get a personalized discussion guide to review with your doctor or care team.
