What Causes Heart Valve Disease?

The heart has four valves that work like one-way doors, ensuring blood flows in the correct direction with each beat. When a valve is diseased, it can become narrowed (stenosis), leaky (regurgitation), or both. This disrupts normal blood flow and can cause symptoms such as breathlessness, fatigue, palpitations and swelling of the ankles.

Some people are born with abnormal heart valves. The most common congenital valve condition is a bicuspid aortic valve, where the aortic valve has two leaflets instead of the usual three. This can lead to narrowing or leakage over time. Other congenital defects may affect the pulmonary, mitral or tricuspid valves. Even if a congenital valve problem is mild at birth, it often requires monitoring throughout life. Our clinic offers dedicated care for adults with congenital heart disease in the Poole and Bournemouth area.

Most valve disease is acquired in adulthood. One of the most frequent causes is age-related degenerative valve disease, where calcium deposits build up on the valve leaflets over time, making them stiff (aortic stenosis) or causing them to leak. This is a gradual process and is often found during a routine heart health check.

Rheumatic heart disease, once common in the UK, still affects some older adults. It is a complication of untreated streptococcal throat infections and can cause lasting damage to the heart valves, particularly the mitral valve. Although rare now due to antibiotic use, it remains an important cause globally.

Infective endocarditis is a serious infection of the heart valves, usually caused by bacteria entering the bloodstream. People with certain valve abnormalities or artificial valves are at higher risk. Good dental hygiene and awareness of symptoms like fever and night sweats are essential.

Other heart conditions can also lead to valve problems. For example, a heart attack or dilated cardiomyopathy may stretch the heart and distort the mitral valve, causing leakage. Coronary artery disease can affect the valves indirectly through changes in heart muscle function.

Connective tissue disorders such as Marfan syndrome or Ehlers–Danlos syndrome can weaken valve tissue, leading to regurgitation. Chest radiation therapy for cancer, while life-saving, can sometimes damage the heart valves many years later.

Many people have mild valve disease without any symptoms, and it may be discovered during a routine echocardiogram. However, if you experience worsening breathlessness, chest pain or tightness, fainting, palpitations, or swollen ankles, you should seek medical advice. Urgent symptoms such as severe, sudden breathlessness or chest pain require immediate attention — call 999.

This article is general information and not a substitute for a consultation with a doctor. If you have concerns about your heart, speak to your GP or a cardiologist. Dr Sujata Khambekar and the team at The Cardiology Clinic in Poole are here to help, offering thorough assessment with echocardiography and advanced imaging such as cardiac MRI to accurately diagnose valve disease and guide treatment.

The information in this article is based on current clinical guidelines and resources from the British Heart Foundation, the NHS, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). For more detailed information, you can visit their patient information websites or discuss your situation with a healthcare professional.