It is caused by either wear or disease of the heart valve(s), affecting the flow of blood through the heart. When diseased or defective, heart valves may not open or close properly and can interfere with the flow of blood. The most common valve problems involve the mitral and aortic valves.
Although the condition is common, awareness of signs and symptoms is low. Typical symptoms include shortness of breath, lightheadedness on exertion or dizziness. Many people describe them as a slowing down or weary feeling. The condition most often affects people over the age of 65, and many people mistake the symptoms as signs of ageing or being unfit.
Heart valve disease is detected with a simple stethoscope check, where a GP listens to the heart for a murmur. That simple check is the first step to timely detection and diagnosis of the disease.
While many people have not heard of the condition, heart valve disease is serious. Severe aortic stenosis, the most common form of valve disease, has a mortality rate of 50 per cent if left untreated for two years. However, while it is serious, it is treatable.
Patients can be treated for heart valve disease by either replacing or repairing the valve, either by open heart surgery, or new and innovative procedures like minimally invasive surgery or trans-catheter therapies — where the valve is replaced through the patient’s groin. “Many over-65s mistakenly believe the symptoms of heart valve disease, such as breathlessness, light headedness on exertion or excessive fatigue, are merely a result of getting older,” says consultant cardiologist Professor Simon Ray. “There needs to be better awareness of these red flag symptoms, and the importance of not ignoring them or excusing them away. Anyone who experiences them must act quickly and contact their doctor for a stethoscope check.”
UK charity Heart Valve Voice, founded in 2014, has made it their mission to raise awareness of the disease and support patients while they undergo treatment.
Heart Valve Voice executive director, Wil Woan, says: “Heart Valve Voice is a patient organisation. Our mission is to use patients’ lived experience to promote awareness of the disease, and work with clinicians to improve the detection, diagnosis and treatment of heart valve disease.”
Awareness of the disease is slowly improving, and Heart Valve Voice’s award-winning 2022 national education campaign saw over a million people learn about signs and symptoms of valve disease, instructing them to ask their doctor for a stethoscope check if they or anyone they know experience them.
Progress has also been made in improving treatment, with many patients now able to access transcatheter therapies that reduce hospital stays and improve recovery times. Once treated, patients can get back to a good quality of life, symptom-free.
Lewis Benn was treated for heart valve disease in 2020. Lewis says: “It was like a miracle, I felt like I could breathe again. Before my treatment I wasn’t feeling good at all, I couldn’t breathe properly and could hardly walk. Now I’m home and I feel like a new man.” Woan says: “At Heart Valve Voice we say: ‘It’s common, it’s serious, but it’s treatable’ and Lewis is a perfect example of that. His aortic stenosis was at a critical stage, and rapid intervention was needed. Thanks to his TAVI [transcathether aortic valve implantation] he was in the hospital for just a few days and returned home symptom-free. He is now enjoying his life again with his family.
“Anyone who experiences symptoms of breathlessness, dizziness or fatigue must get a stethoscope check. That simple check could save your life.”
Callum Ferguson is head of policy and communications at Heart Valve Voice.
To learn more about heart valve disease go to heartvalvevoice.com . If you have been affected by the disease and wish to support Heart Valve Voice’s work, email info@heartvalvevoice.com or call 07950 670815
