We are pleased to present SCOR's latest publication written by our Life's experts Dephine Labojka and Dr James Kadouch.
Although the prevalence of heart valve diseases is low in the general population - around 2.5% - it is much higher in patients aged 75 years and older, reaching 10% to 15%. The most common valve diseases are mitral regurgitation (mitral insufficiency) and aortic stenosis, which affect three patients of four. Then comes aortic regurgitation (aortic insufficiency), followed at some distance by mitral stenosis.
Improvements in healthcare during the past 30 years have contributed to change the distribution of valvular heart diseases causes. Thus, rheumatic valve disease, which once was predominant in young subjects, has gradually become less common. On the other hand, with the increase in life expectancy, degenerative causes have become more frequent. Moreover, it remains likely that the number of cases will continue to grow as the population ages.
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