Valvular Heart Disease

There are four valves in your heart which act like one-way doors. The heart valves open and close with each beat of your heart and control the direction of blood flow. If, however, one of your valves becomes diseased or damaged by birth defects, rheumatic fever, infection, or the aging process, there may be disruption of the blood flow through the heart. When this happens, the heart is forced to work harder, to try to get the oxygen-rich blood to the rest of your body, and you may experience chest pains, shortness of breath, dizziness, become easily fatigued, or experience other symptoms. Generally, the aortic and mitral valves are most often affected.