The risk factors for aortic valve regurgitation are:

• Congenital heart defects, such as being born with an aortic valve with one (unicuspid) or two (bicuspid) flaps, called leaflets, rather than three.
• Old age.
• Male gender.

Tell your doctor if one of your close family members has a congenital aortic valve defect, because you may be at risk for having one.

As you age, your valves sustain greater wear and are more likely to leak, increasing the risk of aortic regurgitation. Also, men are more likely than women to develop the condition.

Age; a disorder of the connective tissues (Marfan's syndrome); high blood pressure; autoimmune diseases, in which your immune system begins to attack your body's own cells; and syphilis put you at increased risk for developing an enlarged aorta, which in turn increases your risk for regurgitation.