Heart Valve Diseases

Your heart has four valves. Normally, these valves open to let blood flow through or out of your heart, and then shut to keep it from flowing backward. But sometimes they don't work properly. What can happen?

• Blood can leak back through the valve in the wrong direction, which is called regurgitation
• One of the valves, the mitral valve, sometimes has "floppy" flaps and doesn't close tightly. This is called mitral valve prolapse, and it's one of the most common heart valve conditions. Sometimes it causes regurgitation
• When the valve doesn't open enough, which blocks blood flow, it is called stenosis

Valve problems can be present at birth or caused by infections, heart attacks, or heart disease or damage. Some valve problems are minor and do not need treatment. Others might require medicine, medical procedures or surgery to repair or replace the valve.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

External Resources

Edwards LifeSciences - Providing a comprehensive line of products and services to treat late stage cardiovascular disease. Design, development, manufacturing and marketing of tissue heart valves and heart valve repair products.

St. Jude Medical, Inc. - Provide artificial heart valves, tissue valves, cardiac pacemakers, cardiac catheters, electrophysiology and other products for heart valve disease and cardiac rhythm management.

St. Jude Medical Glossary of Heart-Related Medical Terms - Glossary of medical terms related to cardiovascular disorders, heart disease, and heart valves.

The Cleveland Clinic Foundation - A guide explaining heart valve disease including diagnosing and types of surgery available.

Heart Point - A lot to be found here, including regurgitation, causes of valvular disease, therapy and surgeries available. An excellent diagram of regurgitant mitral valve in motion is shown.

Guidelines for the Management of Patients With Valvular Heart Disease - From the American Heart Association, covers all the valve diseases, infective endocarditis, pregnancy, adolescents and young adults, prosthetic heart valves and coronary artery disease.

St. Jude Medical - Information on how heart valves work, heart sounds, and types and causes of valvular disease.

Surgical Associates of Texas: Patient Information - A discussion about heart valves, valve diseases, symptoms, and surgical procedures.

Inova Heart Center - An article about tricuspid valve disease as well as stenosis and regurgitation.

Mitral Valve Prolapse - Learn about MVP, its symptoms, arrhythmias, chest pain, heart sounds, regurgitation, endocarditis, heart failure, valvular disease and other related topics. An email group for support and regular newsletters is available.

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