Who is affected by aortic valve stenosis?

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Who is affected by aortic valve stenosis?

The majority of people who have aortic valve stenosis are older than 65 and have developed the condition slowly, over many years.

Most young people and teens who have the condition developed it as a result of a defect at birth (congenital heart defect). The most common heart defect that causes aortic stenosis is a bicuspid aortic valve . This is the most common cause of aortic stenosis in people younger than 65. A normal (tricuspid) aortic valve has three flaps called leaflets; a bicuspid valve only has two leaflets.

Aortic valve stenosis is more common in men than in women.¹

Some people may develop aortic stenosis after having rheumatic fever as a child. It usually takes 30 to 40 years after a case of rheumatic fever for aortic stenosis to develop. Rheumatic fever has been rare in the United States since the 1970s.

References

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Citations
Stewart WJ, Carabello BA (2007). Aortic valve disease. In EJ Topol et al., eds., Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine, 3rd ed., pp. 366–388. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

Credits

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Author	Robin Parks, MS
Editor	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS
Associate Editor	Pat Truman, MATC
Primary Medical Reviewer	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	George Philippides, MD - Cardiology
Last Updated	November 14, 2007

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Last updated:	November 14, 2007
Author:	Robin Parks, MS
Reviewed By:	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine, George Philippides, MD - Cardiology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC

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