Valve disease can be acquired (from disease, infection or aging) or congenital (developing before birth).  Occasionally, the cause of valve disease cannot be found.  Some of the more common causes are described below.

Acquired Valve Disease

Acquired heart valve disease usually involves the aortic or mitral valve and includes the following disorders and is something that develops during a person’s lifetime.

  • Bacterial endocarditis: This occurs when bacteria enters the bloodstream and multiplies on the heart valves, causing deformity and damage to valve leaflets. Bacteria can be introduced into your blood during surgery, dental procedures, IV drug use or severe infections.
  • Among other causes of acquired heart valve disease are: coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, heart failure, heart attacks and connective tissue disorders (e.g., Marfan syndrome).
  • Calcification: Usually occurring in the aortic valve, a build-up of calcium, typically in elderly individuals, can harden and thicken a valve, causing narrowing (stenosis) of the valve and hampering blood flow. Calcification often involves the aortic valve.
Illustration of normal and stenotic aortic valve
  • Congenital Valve Disease: Congenital heart valve damage is present at birth and most often involves the pulmonary or aortic valve. The valve may be malformed or totally absent. Often the valve is stenotic, meaning it is thickened and narrowed, causing reduced blood flow.

 The narrowed valve may not be a problem during infancy, but as a child grows the heart cannot keep up with the body's demand for blood. The condition is often not detected until later in life unless severe.

    Causes of congenital heart valve disorders are not completely understood.  Some theories suggest heredity, environmental factors, and maternal health problems (disease, infection, drug use).
  • Mitral valve prolapse: Improper movement of the mitral valve leaflets can create floppy and abnormal leaflets that result in leakage.
Illustration of normal and prolapsed mitral valve
  • Rheumatic fever: Most common in developing countries now, rheumatic fever is caused by an untreated bacterial infection such as strep throat.  The infection can cause an autoimmune response that mistakenly attacks the body’s valve leaflets.  Heart valve problems stemming from rheumatic fever may not appear until decades after the infection.

Complications from Heart Valve Disease

A major complication of heart valve disease is congestive heart failure, where your heart is unable to adequately pump out the excess blood that has accumulated.

Another complication of heart valve disease is heart muscle disease or irregular cardiac rhythm.

In some cases, stagnating blood lead to blood clots that may break off and travel through your bloodstream, potentially causing a stroke, heart attack or sudden death.