Mitral Valve Stenosis - What Increases Your Risk
The three main risk factors for mitral valve stenosis are:
- History of rheumatic fever. Unfortunately, since most individuals do not know they had rheumatic fever, they may not know they are at risk.
- Aging. Wear and tear of the mitral valve over time may cause it to harden and narrow.
- Gender. More women than men get mitral valve stenosis.
Less commonly, diabetes and Marfan's syndrome can lead to mitral valve stenosis, causing calcification, or hardening, of the mitral valve's base. This limits the valve's flexibility and slows its rhythmic movements. Any condition that scars the valves, such as endocarditis, may lead to mitral valve stenosis. But, these conditions usually raise the chance of getting mitral valve regurgitation rather than stenosis.
Atherosclerosis: Your Arteries Age by Age
Atherosclerosis takes place over a lifetime. Complications from atherosclerosis tend to happen later in life. But the process of narrowing and hardening of the arteries starts early, progressing over decades. Developing some atherosclerosis is often unavoidable. It's the result of aging and our own genetic tendencies. A much larger part, though, is determined by our behavior and lifestyle choices as we move through life. How old are your arteries? Are they the ones you had in college? Or are...
Read the Atherosclerosis: Your Arteries Age by Age article > >
Little can be done to prevent mitral valve stenosis. Similarly, after you develop the condition, you cannot prevent the start of symptoms or predict how quickly symptoms will develop.
Fortunately, mitral valve stenosis can be treated. And few people die from it.
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
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