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Last Updated on November 27, 2025 by Bilal Hasdemir
Aortic stenosis is a serious heart condition. It happens when the aortic valve narrows, blocking blood flow. Knowing about it can help you manage it better.
At Liv Hospital, we have a team ready to help international patients. We focus on you, ensuring top care for aortic valve stenosis. The main reasons for this condition are age-related calcification, congenital bicuspid aortic valve, and rheumatic fever.
Aortic valve stenosis happens when the valve gets too narrow. This blocks blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body. It can cause serious health problems if not treated.
The aortic valve is key to the heart’s function. It makes sure blood flows only one way from the left ventricle to the aorta. Then, it goes to the rest of the body. It has three cusps that open and close with each heartbeat.
When it works right, blood flows easily. But if it narrows, the heart has to work harder to push blood through.
Aortic stenosis can start for many reasons. These include getting older, having a bicuspid aortic valve at birth, or rheumatic fever. As it gets worse, symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, and fainting may show up.
It’s important to catch and treat aortic valve stenosis early. This helps avoid serious problems and improves health outcomes.
Important things to know about aortic stenosis include:
Knowing these details helps manage aortic stenosis better. It also helps prevent its serious effects.
We will look at how aortic stenosis impacts the heart’s pumping power. Aortic stenosis is when the aortic valve narrows. This valve is key for blood to flow from the heart to the body.
In a healthy heart, the aortic valve opens wide, letting blood flow freely. But with aortic stenosis, the valve narrows, blocking blood flow. This blockage makes the heart work harder, leading to increased pressure inside the heart.
The left ventricle, the heart’s main pumping chamber, feels this strain. As aortic stenosis worsens, the left ventricle must pump harder to keep blood flowing. This can cause the ventricle to thicken, leading to hypertrophy.
If not treated, this can lead to heart failure. Symptoms include fatigue, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
The main points about aortic stenosis are:
Knowing the causes of aortic valve stenosis is key for early treatment. There are three main reasons: age-related calcification, congenital bicuspid aortic valve, and rheumatic fever.
Age-related calcification is the top reason for aortic stenosis in older adults. As we get older, calcium builds up on the aortic valve. This makes it stiff and narrow, similar to how arteries get clogged with atherosclerosis.
A congenital bicuspid aortic valve has only two cusps, not the usual three. This can cause the valve to malfunction, including stenosis. People born with this condition are more likely to get aortic stenosis early in life.
Rheumatic fever, caused by streptococcal infection, can damage the aortic valve. It’s less common in developed countries but is a big cause of aortic stenosis elsewhere. The heart damage from rheumatic fever can be severe, leading to valve disease and other heart problems.
It’s important to know these causes to prevent and manage aortic valve stenosis. By understanding the risks, we can take steps to keep our hearts healthy.
It’s important to know about aortic stenosis to catch it early. This condition is common among the elderly worldwide.
Aortic stenosis often affects older adults, with a big jump after 65. Men are more likely to get it than women, but it can happen to anyone.
Genetics play a big part in aortic stenosis. If your family has it, you’re at higher risk. Having conditions like bicuspid aortic valve can also raise your risk.
Conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, and kidney disease can increase your risk. Staying healthy and managing these can lower your risk.
Mild aortic stenosis is often hard to find because it doesn’t show symptoms early on. This condition makes the aortic valve narrow. It can grow slowly, and in the beginning, it might not cause big symptoms of aortic valve stenosis.
A heart murmur is a sign of aortic stenosis that shows up early. It’s an unusual sound heard with a stethoscope. This sound comes from blood flowing unevenly because of the narrowed valve. It’s key to catch these murmurs early, as they signal heart murmurs that need more checking.
Mild aortic stenosis is often found by accident during routine health checks. This shows how important it is to get regular health exams. These can help catch the disease early and stop it from getting worse. We suggest that people, and those at risk, get their hearts checked often to catch aortic valve stenosis diagnosis early.
Getting regular heart checks is key to finding aortic stenosis early. We encourage people to take care of their heart health by seeing their doctors often. Catching it early can really help in managing and treating aortic stenosis, leading to better health outcomes.
As aortic stenosis gets worse, the aortic valve gets thicker. This makes it harder for the heart to work. We’ll look at how this affects the heart and how it tries to keep up.
Calcium builds up on the valve, making it stiff. This stops the valve from opening fully. So, the heart has to work even harder to push blood through.
At first, the heart gets thicker to handle the extra work. This helps it keep blood flowing. But, this can’t keep up forever, and heart failure can happen.
How fast aortic stenosis gets worse varies. Age, other heart problems, and lifestyle play a role. Regular check-ups are key to managing the disease.
Important points in the disease’s progression include:
Understanding aortic valve thickening helps us manage the disease better. This improves outcomes for patients.
Severe aortic stenosis is a serious condition that needs quick medical help. We know the unique symptoms to act fast.
The signs of aortic valve stenosis start small but grow stronger. Look out for fatigue and shortness of breath when you’re active.
The main symptoms are chest pain, syncope, and dyspnea. Chest pain happens when the heart muscle needs more oxygen. Syncope is when blood flow to the brain drops. Dyspnea means fluid builds up in the lungs, making it hard to breathe.
As severe aortic stenosis gets worse, symptoms get worse too. If you see these signs, get medical help right away. We offer top-notch healthcare and support for international patients.
Aortic stenosis is when the aortic valve gets narrower. This blocks blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body.
The main causes are age-related calcification, congenital bicuspid aortic valve, and rheumatic fever.
Symptoms include chest pain, fainting, and shortness of breath. You might also feel tired, have trouble breathing, or notice leg swelling.
Doctors use a physical exam, echocardiography, and imaging tests. These help figure out how bad the valve narrowing is.
Treatment depends on how severe it is. Options include watching it closely, taking medicine, or surgery like aortic valve replacement.
Yes, mild cases might not show symptoms. Regular heart check-ups are key for catching it early.
Thickening makes the heart work harder. This can lead to problems like left ventricular hypertrophy and heart failure if not treated.
Risk factors include age, genetics, and health conditions like high blood pressure and cholesterol.
Sometimes, it can be managed with medication and watchful waiting. But severe cases usually need surgery.
The outlook depends on how severe it is and the treatment’s success. With good care, many patients can live active lives.
American Heart Association (AHA): Problem: Aortic Valve Stenosis
MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine): Aortic Valve Stenosis
