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Heart Valve Disease
Heart valves are flap-like leaflets that swing open allowing blood to flow by and then snap closed. This action assures blood flows in only one direction.

The four important heart valves are:
Aortic Valve: separates the left ventricle from the aorta (the main artery to the body)
Mitral Valve: separates the left atrium from the left ventricle
Tricuspid Valve: separates the right atrium from the right ventricle
Pulmonary Valve: separates the right ventricle from the pulmonary artery

How are Heart Valves Damaged?
When the valve is damaged, two problems can occur. First, the valve will not open all the way because it has become hardened with calcium deposits or scarring; called stenosis. Second, the valve does not close all the way. When this happens blood can flow back from where it came from. This is called regurgitation.
These changes in the heart valves may be so slight that they never cause symptoms and never need to be repaired. Or they can cause severe symptoms which require correction.

What Causes Heart Valve Disease?
Heart Valves become damaged for a variety of reasons:
Congenital: when valves are developing in the unborn child, they sometimes do not form properly. A deformed valve can result.
Rheumatic fever: this disease occurs after a strep bacterial infection, such as strep throat. Protein antibodies form in the blood and damage the heart valve.
Infection: some bacteria can infect the heart valves and quickly cause severe damage.
Aging: some valves, like the aortic valve, become hardened and calcified with age. It is not know why this occurs, or why the aortic valve is targeted.

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