Valvular heart disease is a disorder of one or more of the heart’s four valves: aortic, mitral, tricuspid, and pulmonary. These valves normally keep blood moving forward through the heart. When a valve is diseased, it may not open or close properly.

The two main problems are:

Common examples include aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation, mitral stenosis, and aortic regurgitation.

Causes can include age-related calcium buildup, congenital valve abnormalities such as a bicuspid aortic valve, rheumatic fever, infective endocarditis, and damage from heart attack or other heart disease.

Possible symptoms are breathlessness, fatigue, chest pain, palpitations, dizziness or fainting, ankle swelling, and a new heart murmur. Mild disease can cause no symptoms.

Doctors usually diagnose it with an echocardiogram, which uses ultrasound to see valve structure and blood flow. Treatment depends on severity and may include regular monitoring, medicines to control symptoms or complications, valve repair, or valve replacement through surgery or a catheter-based procedure. Echocardiography is generally the first imaging test used to assess valve disease. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine 22E (2025), p. 2024-2026.

Untreated severe valve disease can lead to heart failure, abnormal heart rhythms, stroke, or infection of the valves. The American Heart Association overview also describes stenosis and regurgitation as the key forms of valve dysfunction.