Aortic Valve Stenosis: Living With Aortic Valve Stenosis
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Living With Aortic Valve Stenosis
How you will feel and how aortic valve stenosis will affect your life will vary greatly depending on whether you have symptoms and the treatment decisions you make.
If you have no symptoms
You may be surprised when you first learn that you have aortic valve stenosis, because you may not have symptoms. In fact, you may even have quite severe stenosis and still not feel any symptoms or show physical signs. But even if you feel fine, there are still many things you will have to keep in mind.
It is important that you watch closely for any signs of chest pain, lightheadedness, fainting, or shortness of breath. See your doctor promptly if you develop these symptoms or others that concern you. You are more likely to have symptoms while exercising or doing other strenuous activity than at other times. Discuss with your doctor what kinds of exercise are safe for you. There is no way to predict when symptoms will develop.
You can keep your heart healthy and lower your risk of coronary artery disease with a heart-healthy diet and lifestyle such as not smoking, staying at a healthy weight, being active, and managing diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
You also will need to have an echocardiogram every 6 months to 1 year for severe stenosis and every 1 to 5 years for mild to moderate stenosis.
If you have severe stenosis, avoid strenuous physical activity. In rare cases, sudden death can occur if enough blood cannot get to your heart muscle during strenuous physical activity.
| Condition | What it means |
|---|---|
Hypotension | You have abnormally low blood pressure. |
Left ventricular systolic dysfunction | Your left ventricle is the chamber of your heart that pumps blood from your heart into the rest of your body. Systolic function refers to the ventricle's ability to contract and pump blood out of the ventricle and into the rest of the body. Systolic dysfunction means that the ventricle is not contracting properly, which can lead to a range of problems including not enough blood getting to your organs and tissues. |
Marked left ventricular hypertrophy | The muscles of the left ventricle become thick. |
Severe aortic stenosis | Your aortic valve has narrowed considerably. |
Severe coronary artery disease (CAD) | The combination of aortic valve stenosis and CAD, or blockages in the arteries that send blood to the heart is a serious condition. Your doctor may recommend surgery to fix both problems at the same time. |
If you have symptoms
After symptoms of stenosis appear, you'll need to decide whether to have valve replacement. Because it is the only effective long-term treatment, valve replacement surgery is recommended unless you are in such poor health the surgery would be too risky or you have other reasons not to have it. For more information about valve replacement surgery, see:
If you do not have surgery, you will likely develop severe heart failure, which will shorten your life. But you can make lifestyle changes to manage heart failure, including:
- Eating a low-sodium diet and being careful about how much fluid you drink.
- Taking medications for heart failure. For more information, see the topic Heart Failure.
- Being active with walking or other mild exercise. You should discuss with your doctor what type of exercise is safe for you.
- Quitting smoking.
- Limiting activities that may strain you, such as travel and sex.
If you choose to have surgery, you should know that it will likely involve a long recovery. On average, people who have valve replacement take 3 to 6 weeks off from work. In some cases, full recovery may take several months.
After you recover from surgery, you will still need to take antibiotics when necessary to guard against an infection in your heart (endocarditis). You may also need to take a blood thinner (anticoagulant) to prevent blood clots, depending on the type of valve you have. If you have a mechanical valve, you will have to take blood thinners as long as you have the valve.
If you have an artificial valve, you may need to take antibiotics before you have certain dental or surgical procedures. The antibiotics help prevent an infection in your heart called endocarditis.
End-of-life issues
Most people who have symptoms of severe aortic valve stenosis but do not have valve replacement surgery die within 2 to 5 years.2 For this reason, it is important to consider end-of-life issues.
If you choose not to have surgery, your doctor will prescribe medications to make you comfortable. As you get sicker, you may be unable to make decisions about your medical care. You may want to consider the type of care you wish to receive in case you are unable to make your wishes known. For more information, see the topic Care at the End of Life.
More information |
| 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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