Aortic Valve Stenosis: What Is It?
Aortic valve stenosis is the most common valvular heart disease in adults, with an incidence of 10% among individuals over 80 years old.
Aortic Valve Stenosis: Causes
The most common cause is chronic degeneration, leading to thickening and calcification of the valve leaflets. Over time, this restricts their opening and ultimately results in severe narrowing of the valve orifice.
A less frequent cause is a bicuspid aortic valve — a congenital condition where the valve has only two leaflets instead of three. This anatomical anomaly leads to faster degeneration and is the most common cause of severe aortic stenosis in patients under 70 years old.
Aortic stenosis is considered severe when the valve opening area becomes smaller than 1 cm².
Aortic Valve Stenosis: Symptoms
According to current guidelines, patients with severe aortic stenosis and symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain or discomfort, dizziness, or fainting episodes should undergo valve replacement. This improves survival, reduces complications and disease-related morbidity, and enhances quality of life.
