Your heart valves open and close about 86,000 times a day. They let oxygen-rich blood flow from your heart into the aorta, where it goes to the rest of your body.
Over time, calcium deposits can make your aortic valve stiff and narrow. This can cause your heart to work harder and lead to other heart problems.
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There are four valves in your heart that work together to help make sure blood moves into the right chambers and out into the body. These valves have tiny flaps that open and close as your heart beats. If the aortic valve can’t open all the way because it is narrowed or the flaps have calcified, your heart has to pump harder to get enough blood into the aorta and out into your body. This can cause chest pain and shortness of breath.
A bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) contains only two cusps (flaps), instead of three, and it may leak or stenosis (narrowing). Symptoms usually don’t develop until a person is in their late 50s or older. BAV may run in families and can be caused by rheumatic fever, which occurs when untreated strep throat or scarlet fever causes damage to the heart’s valves.
Chest pain is the most common aortic valve symptom, and it can feel like squeezing or pressure in the center of the chest or neck. It may be brought on by exercise or excitement and is relieved by rest. It can also be brought on by a heart attack or pulmonary embolism, which is when a blood clot in your lung blocks the flow of blood to your lungs.
Cardiologists are most worried about chest pain that’s persistent or gets worse and isn’t relieved by rest, which may indicate a heart problem that is getting worse. They’re also concerned if the chest pain is sudden or comes on with little activity, which can signal a blocked artery in the heart.
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Breathlessness, also called dyspnea, is one of the most common signs that something’s wrong with your heart and lungs. Your lungs and heart work together to bring oxygen to your tissues and remove carbon dioxide from the blood, so any condition that affects either of these processes can make it difficult to breathe. That’s why doctors usually test people for lung or heart conditions if they complain of breathlessness.
Acute, severe breathlessness that occurs suddenly can be a sign of a heart attack, so it’s important to contact a doctor immediately if you experience it. Severe breathlessness that gets worse over time and interferes with daily activities is also a sign of serious aortic valve disease, and it’s best to call 911 in those cases.
The first thing your doctor will do is take a health history, conduct a physical exam and listen to your heart for a whooshing sound (murmur). Then the doctor may order an echocardiogram — a noninvasive test that uses sound waves to create images of your heart valves and chambers. Other tests include a chest X-ray, an electrocardiogram (ECG) and a cardiac computerized tomography (CT) scan. Some doctors use a procedure called cardiac catheterization to get more detailed images of the heart and its valves by inserting a thin tube (catheter) into a large blood vessel in the arm or groin and guiding it to the heart.
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The heart valves can be damaged by disease, age or injury. But you may not have any symptoms of aortic valve problems in the early stages. Symptoms are more likely to show up when the problem is severe or gets worse.
Symptoms of severe aortic valve regurgitation usually happen very quickly. They include sudden shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, chest pain and lightheadedness. If you have these symptoms, get medical help right away. Severe aortic valve regurgitation can be life-threatening.
People with bicuspid aortic valve might have symptoms of heart failure, including extreme tiredness and swollen ankles or feet. They also might have a rapid or irregular heartbeat called arrhythmia.
Over time, a bicuspid valve can narrow from scarring and calcium deposits that form on the valve tissue. Generally, this occurs as you get older. It can also be caused by rheumatic fever, which is an infection that affects the heart and joints.
Even if you have mild symptoms, you might need a surgical procedure to repair or replace your aortic valve. During the operation, doctors can use artificial valves made of metal or with tissue from cows, pigs, or human donors. They can also repair the valve using a technique called minimally invasive surgery. This involves making small cuts in your chest wall. Symptoms after surgery might include feeling unwell, or an irregular heartbeat (palpitations). You might feel warm and thirsty. You might need to take medication to control your blood pressure or cholesterol.
Oren Zarif
The aortic valve opens and closes to let blood out of the heart into the aorta, the main blood vessel that carries oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. It also keeps blood from returning back into the heart after it’s circulated through the lungs. If the aortic valve has trouble working properly, it may cause your heart to beat faster and you might feel breathless or dizzy. A weak or leaky aortic valve may cause your aorta to become enlarged, which increases the risk of complications.
A bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is usually present at birth and causes no symptoms. A BAV is the most common congenital heart problem. A BAV can develop into a leaking or narrowed aortic valve over time. It can be caused by another heart problem or by rheumatic fever, which is a serious illness that results from strep throat. A health care professional can often prevent rheumatic fever by treating strep throat with a full course of antibiotics.
Doctors diagnose aortic valve disease by asking questions and doing a physical exam. They might hear a whooshing sound, called a murmur, when they listen to your heart with a stethoscope. They might also order a chest X-ray and an echocardiogram. These tests show how well your heart is pumping and help determine if the aortic valve is weak or damaged. People who have an obstruction or a leak in their aortic valve may need to limit how much exercise they do.