Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Jun 15;10(2):32.
doi: 10.3390/medsci10020032.

Valvular Heart Disease Epidemiology

John Sukumar Aluru  1 , Adam Barsouk  2 , Kalyan Saginala  3 , Prashanth Rawla  4 , Alexander Barsouk  5
Affiliations
Review

Valvular Heart Disease Epidemiology

John Sukumar Aluru et al. Med Sci (Basel). .

Abstract

Valvular heart disease is a rapidly growing cause of global cardiovascular morbidity and mortality with diverse and evolving geographic distribution. The prevalence of rheumatic heart disease, the most common valvular heart disease (affecting approximately 41 million people), has been rising in developing nations, likely due to the expansion of the young adult population and the decrease in premature mortality that has resulted from improved access to antibiotics, microbiological testing, and echocardiography. Rheumatic heart disease has also been rising among the impoverished and, often, indigenous populations of developed nations, spurring public health initiatives that are aimed at alleviating healthcare disparities. Aortic valve stenotic disease is the most commonly occurring valvular pathology in developed nations (afflicting 9 million people worldwide) and its prevalence has been increasing with population aging and the increased prevalence of atherosclerosis. Aortic regurgitation is associated with diastolic, but not systolic, hypertension and it has likewise seen a rise in the developed world. Mitral regurgitation affects 24 million people worldwide, with great variability between and among nations. Primary mitral regurgitation arises as a consequence of myxomatous degeneration and mitral valve prolapse, which is largely due to genetic predispositions, while secondary mitral regurgitation accounts for 65% of cases and arises secondary to dilation and heart failure. Tricuspid regurgitation has become more prevalent in developed nations due to the increased usage of intracardiac pacemakers. Infective endocarditis prevalence has also grown in developed nations, likely due to population aging and the increased utilization of transcatheter valve replacement and prosthetic valves as interventions against the previously discussed valvular pathologies.

Keywords: aortic regurgitation; aortic valve stenotic disease; epidemiology; infective endocarditis; rheumatic heart disease; tricuspid regurgitation; valvular heart disease.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Alexander Barsouk served as a consultant for Bristol–Myers Squibb. The other authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Percentages of deaths due to valvular heart disease, by valve, 2017—data obtained from CDC, Atlanta, GA, USA. Available online: https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/valvular_disease.htm (Accessed on 25 April 2022).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Bar chart showing aortic valve stenotic disease age-standardized mortality rate per 100,000.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Roth G.A., Mensah G.A., Fuster V. The Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases and Risks: A Compass for Global Action. J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 2020;76:2980–2981. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2020.11.021. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Mensah G.A., Roth G.A., Fuster V. The Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases and Risk Factors: 2020 and Beyond. J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 2019;74:2529–2532. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2019.10.009. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Coffey S., Harper A.R., Cairns B.J., Roberts I.S.D., Prendergast B.D. Clinical information has low sensitivity for postmortem diagnosis of heart valve disease. Heart. 2017;103:1031–1035. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2016-310718. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Marangou J., Beaton A., Aliku T.O., Nunes M.C.P., Kangaharan N., Reményi B. Echocardiography in Indigenous Populations and Resource Poor Settings. Heart Lung Circ. 2019;28:1427–1435. doi: 10.1016/j.hlc.2019.05.176. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Nkomo V.T., Gardin J.M., Skelton T.N., Gottdiener J.S., Scott C.G., Enriquez-Sarano M. Burden of valvular heart diseases: A population-based study. Lancet. 2006;368:1005–1011. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69208-8. - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms