Skip to main content

Heart valve disease

Heart valve disease is where 1 or more of the valves in your heart does not work as it should. It does not always need treatment, but some people will need medicines or surgery.

Symptoms of heart valve disease

Symptoms of heart valve disease can include:

Some people do not have any symptoms. Sometimes it's found by chance if a doctor hears an unusual sound (a heart murmur) when they listen to your chest.

Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:

  • you're feeling short of breath regularly
  • you feel tired, weak or dizzy when doing normal activities
  • you have heart palpitations that keep coming back, last longer than a few minutes or are getting worse
  • you have swollen ankles or feet
  • you have chest pain that comes and goes

These symptoms can be caused by many different conditions. Having them does not definitely mean you have heart valve disease. But it's important to get them checked by a GP.

Immediate action required: Call 999 or go to A&E if:

  • you're struggling to breathe – you're choking, gasping and unable to speak
  • you have sudden chest pain that spreads to your arms, back, neck or jaw, or lasts more than 15 minutes
  • you have chest pain with shortness of breath or heart palpitations
Find your nearest A&E
Information:

Do not drive to A&E. Ask someone to drive you or call 999 and ask for an ambulance.

Bring any medicines you take with you.

How heart valve disease is diagnosed

If you have symptoms of heart valve disease a GP will listen to your heart.

They may arrange tests or refer you to a heart specialist (cardiologist).

Tests you may have include:

Treatments for heart valve disease

If you have mild heart valve disease and you do not have any symptoms, you may not need treatment. You'll usually have regular check-ups to see if your condition is getting worse.

If you have symptoms or have severe heart valve disease, you may need medicines to:

  • lower your blood pressure and help protect your heart (ACE inhibitors)
  • reduce build-up of fluid in your body and lungs (diuretics)
  • slow down your heart rate (such as beta blockers)
  • reduce the risk of blood clots (anticoagulants)

If you have severe heart valve disease you'll usually need surgery to either:

  • repair the heart valve, if it's not seriously damaged
  • replace the heart valve with an artificial valve or one made from human or animal tissue, if it cannot be repaired
Information:

Find out more about heart valve surgery

Complications of heart valve disease

Heart valve disease affects people differently. It's common to have mild heart valve disease that does not cause any issues, but for some people it can lead to serious health problems.

Your care team will tell you what to expect. They'll also advise on any changes you need to make. This can include healthy lifestyle changes and avoiding strenuous exercise.

Possible complications of heart valve disease include:

Heart valve disease in pregnancy

It's important to get advice from a heart specialist if you're pregnant or want to get pregnant. Pregnancy can make heart valve disease symptoms worse.

You can usually have a safe pregnancy, but you may need extra monitoring and treatment.

Types of heart valve disease

Heart valve disease happens when 1 of your heart valves either:

  • does not open fully (called stenosis)
  • does not close fully (called prolapse) and may be leaky (called regurgitation)

This means your heart has to work harder to pump blood around your body.

It can affect any of your 4 heart valves, but it's most common in the aortic or mitral valves, on the left side of your heart.

Less commonly it can affect the tricuspid or pulmonary valves, on the right side of your heart.

Causes of heart valve disease

Heart valve disease can be caused by:

Help and support for heart valve disease

If you have heart valve disease you can get support from charities such as:

Page last reviewed: 22 January 2025
Next review due: 22 January 2028