Understanding Heart Valve Disease: Key Risk Factors, Causes, and Prevention

Recognize the main risk factors and causes of heart valve disease, learn who is most at risk, and discover practical prevention strategies.

By Sneha Tete, Integrated MA, Certified Relationship Coach

Created on Sep 25, 2025

Recognize the main risk factors and causes of heart valve disease, learn who is most at risk, and discover practical prevention strategies.

Heart Valve Disease: Understanding What Puts You at Risk

Heart valve disease is a serious and increasingly common cardiovascular condition affecting millions of individuals worldwide, especially as populations age. This disease develops when one or more of the heart’s valves are either too tight (stenotic), too loose (regurgitant), malformed, or otherwise dysfunctional. Recognizing the underlying risk factors and causes is crucial to better prevention, timely intervention, and improved outcomes.

What Are Heart Valves and Heart Valve Disease?

Your heart has four valves — the aortic, mitral, tricuspid, and pulmonary valves. Their role is to keep blood flowing in the right direction, opening and closing at the right times. When these valves are damaged or diseased, blood flow within the heart is disrupted, potentially leading to life-threatening problems like heart failure, stroke, or sudden cardiac arrest.

Valve Stenosis: The valve does not open fully, obstructing blood flow.
Valve Regurgitation (Insufficiency): The valve does not close completely, causing blood to leak backward.
Malformations or Floppy Valves: Often due to congenital defects or acquired disorders.

Main Risk Factors for Heart Valve Disease

While heart valve disease can happen to anyone, certain risk factors dramatically increase the likelihood of developing the disorder. Understanding these can help you and your healthcare provider make informed decisions about screening and prevention.

1. Advancing Age

Age is by far the most significant risk factor. As people live longer, age-related wear and tear, as well as calcium deposits, build up on the valve leaflets, making them thicker and stiffer. This is why heart valve disease is much more common in those over 65 years old.
Key Points:

Calcium buildup causes stiffening (stenosis) or improper closure (regurgitation).
Valvular issues become increasingly prevalent with each subsequent decade of life.
Greater life expectancy leads to higher overall disease rates.

2. Previous Heart Conditions

A history of other cardiac issues substantially increases heart valve risk. Examples include:

Heart attack (myocardial infarction): Can damage the heart muscle and valves.
Heart failure: Stressed heart muscle can impair valve function.
Certain congenital heart defects: Such as bicuspid aortic valve or mitral valve prolapse.
Arrhythmias: Irregular heart rhythms can sometimes affect valve performance.

3. Endocarditis (Heart Valve Infection)

Endocarditis refers to infection of the inner lining of the heart’s chambers and valves. This is usually caused by bacteria or, rarely, fungi entering the bloodstream (via dental procedures, IV drug use, or catheters, for instance). Even after successful treatment, endocarditis can cause scarring and permanent damage to the heart valves, increasing the likelihood of progressive heart valve disease.

4. Rheumatic Fever

Rheumatic fever is a serious complication arising from untreated strep throat infections. The body’s immune response may attack heart valves, causing inflammation, scarring, and thickening that can persist for decades. Although rare in developed countries, rheumatic heart disease remains a major cause of valve problems worldwide.

Symptoms of valve damage may appear 10–20 years after initial rheumatic fever.
Usually results in narrowed (stenotic) or leaky (regurgitant) valves.

5. High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

Chronic, uncontrolled high blood pressure exerts increased force on the arteries, heart, and valves. Over time, this causes the heart and main arteries to thicken or enlarge, placing additional stress on the valve leaflets and leading to degeneration.

6. History of Radiation Therapy

People who have received radiation treatment to the chest area (usually for cancers such as lymphoma or breast cancer) can develop late complications—sometimes years or decades later. Radiation can cause the heart muscle, its arteries, and the valves to stiffen or thicken, impairing normal function.

Childhood cancer survivors exposed to chest radiation are at higher risk.

7. Smoking

Smoking is a leading risk factor for all types of cardiovascular disease, including heart valve problems. Chemicals in tobacco alter the structure and function of the heart and blood vessels, increasing the chance of abnormal valve shape and impaired movement.

Quitting smoking reduces overall cardiovascular and valve disease risk.

8. Family History and Genetic Factors

If you have a close relative with heart valve disease—especially congenital valve disorders—your own risk is higher. Genetic predispositions may also interact with lifestyle and environmental factors, amplifying risk in some families.

9. Other Medical and Lifestyle Conditions

Obesity and sedentary lifestyle: Contribute to blood pressure elevation and vascular changes.
Diabetes: Increases inflammation and vascular complications throughout the body, including the heart valves.
High cholesterol: May promote atherosclerosis and calcium buildup in valves.

Common Causes of Heart Valve Issues

Heart valve disease can be traced to multiple sources beyond the major risk factors above. Some of the most common causes of heart valve problems include:

Congenital heart defects: Some people are born with abnormally shaped, extra, or missing heart valves, which increases risk for early valve issues.
Aging and calcium buildup: Progressive thickening and stiffening over time, leading to stenosis.
Infective endocarditis: Bacterial or fungal infection of the valve or surrounding tissue.
Rheumatic fever: Autoimmune damage from a previous strep infection.
High blood pressure and coronary artery disease: Both contribute to progressive valve weakening and dysfunction.
Radiation therapy: Can cause delayed scarring and narrowing of the valves.

Who Is at Highest Risk?

Although anyone can develop heart valve disease, the following groups face the highest risk:

Older adults (over 65 years)
People with a history of heart attack, heart failure, arrhythmia, or congenital heart conditions
Individuals with a past of rheumatic fever or endocarditis
Cancer survivors who had radiation therapy to the chest
Smokers
Those with multiple cardiovascular risk factors: high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, and family history

Children and younger adults can also be affected, often due to congenital valve abnormalities or valve disease resulting from infection.

Potential Complications If Left Untreated

Progressive heart failure
Arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms)
Stroke
Blood clots
Sudden cardiac arrest or death

Even mild valve disorders can worsen over time, so regular monitoring is important if you have a known abnormality or risk factor.

Prevention: Reducing Your Risk of Heart Valve Disease

Manage high blood pressure and cholesterol: Maintain target levels through diet, exercise, and medications if needed.
Control diabetes and blood sugar: Prevents vascular injury that can affect the valves.
Quit smoking completely: Dramatically decreases heart and valve risks.
Maintain a healthy weight: Reduces stress on the heart and valves.
Practice good dental hygiene: Prevents infections that could lead to endocarditis.
Avoid untreated strep throat: See a doctor and complete antibiotics to prevent rheumatic fever.
Address risk factors for coronary artery disease: The same measures that prevent atherosclerosis/coronary disease lower valve risks.
Regular checkups: Especially after age 65 or with a family history of valve disease.

Symptoms: When Should You Be Concerned?

Not everyone with heart valve disease experiences symptoms in early stages. Common symptoms, which often appear only when disease is advanced, include:

Shortness of breath (especially with activity or when lying down)
Fatigue and weakness
Swelling in ankles, feet, or abdomen
Irregular heartbeat or palpitations
Chest pain or pressure
Dizziness or fainting

If you have any of the above symptoms or significant risk factors, consult with a healthcare professional for assessment and potential screening.

Heart Valve Disease Risk Factors Table

Risk Factor	Description	Modifiable?
Age > 65	Progressive stiffening and thickening of valves	No
History of heart disease	Prior heart attack, failure, or congenital condition	No (but conditions may be managed)
Endocarditis	Previous infection damaging the valve	Partly (practice good dental hygiene, avoid IV drug use)
Rheumatic fever	Immune reaction to untreated strep throat	Yes (treat strep infections promptly)
High blood pressure	Persistent elevated pressure strains valves	Yes
Radiation therapy to chest	Late effects of cancer treatment	No
Smoking	Damages blood vessels and valves	Yes
Family history/genetics	Inherited predisposition to valve defects	No

Lifestyle Changes for Heart Valve Health

Tick routine blood pressure and cholesterol checks—Act early if values are rising.
Get regular exercise—Aim for at least 150 minutes per week of moderate activity, unless otherwise advised by your doctor.
Eat a heart-healthy diet—Favor whole grains, fruits, vegetables, healthy fats (like olive oil), and lean proteins.
See a doctor promptly for strep throat or persistent infections.
Monitor for symptoms—Record new or concerning symptoms and bring them to your doctor’s attention.
Take prescribed medications as directed—This is critical if you have known risk factors, diabetes, or prior heart problems.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Is heart valve disease the same as coronary artery disease?

A: No, coronary artery disease affects the blood vessels supplying the heart muscle, while heart valve disease impacts the structure and function of the valves inside the heart. However, having one increases risk for the other.

Q: Can heart valve disease be prevented?

A: While you can’t prevent all cases (especially age- or genetics-related), you can lower your risk by managing blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, not smoking, treating infections promptly, and keeping a healthy lifestyle.

Q: What if I have a family history—should I get screened?

A: Yes, discuss family history with your doctor. Regular checkups, early screening, and echocardiograms may be recommended depending on your age, symptoms, and history of heart murmurs or congenital issues.

Q: Does everyone with mild valve disease need surgery?

A: No. Many people with mild valve disease only require monitoring. Surgery or intervention is reserved for significant dysfunction or symptoms.

Q: How does smoking specifically affect heart valves?

A: Smoking causes chemical and structural changes within blood vessels and heart tissue, leading to thickening, stiffening, and functional impairment of the valves.

Q: Can children or teenagers develop heart valve disease?

A: Yes, particularly if they were born with congenital valve abnormalities, or develop valve damage secondary to rheumatic fever or infective endocarditis.

References

Author

Sneha TeteBeauty & Lifestyle Writer

Sneha is a relationships and lifestyle writer with a strong foundation in applied linguistics and certified training in relationship coaching. She brings over five years of writing experience to thebridalbox, crafting thoughtful, research-driven content that empowers readers to build healthier relationships, boost emotional well-being, and embrace holistic living.

Read full bio of Sneha Tete