Heart Valve Disease and Its Symptoms

Saif Anwaruddin, MD, interventional cardiologist, discusses heart valve disease and its symptoms. Dr. Anwaruddin also discusses the expertise and advanced treatment options available in our Heart Valve Disease Program.

With each heartbeat, your heart's four valves open and close to keep blood flowing throughout the body. Conditions at birth or wear and tear over time can affect their function and cause blood flow disturbances. Fortunately, today there are many options to treat heart valve disease.

What Is Heart Valve Disease?

Tell us more about heart valve disease. Heart valve disease is quite a common entity. It can occur at any age in patients. If you're born with it, it's called congenital heart disease, but mostly people — as they get older — have higher likelihood of developing heart valve disease. Heart valves open and close with every heartbeat. The restriction of opening (called stenosis) or incomplete closure (called leakiness or regurgitation) can cause heart valve disease and cause the patient to develop symptoms.

What Are Some Early Symptoms of Heart Failure?

Most commonly, a lot of patients with heart valve disease don't have symptoms. They're often noticed on a physical examination at your doctor's visit, so they're often surprised when they realize that they have heart valve disease. As heart valve disease progresses, patients can develop symptoms — symptoms including shortness of breath, chest heaviness, dizziness or fatigue. Any of these symptoms should prompt evaluation with your physician.

Why Seek Treatment With the Froedtert & MCW Heart Valve Disease Program?

First and foremost, we have an expert team that has decades of experience in the management of patients with complex heart valve disease. We have an array of options for treatment, including medicines, device therapies and complex surgeries. And finally, we have access to the most advanced clinical trials that aren't available anywhere in the state. 

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