Heart valve disease occurs when your heart's valves do not work the way they should.

 Symptoms of disease:                                                                                                                       

Causes of disease:  Heart valve disease may be present at birth (congenital) or can develop in adults due to many causes and conditions, such as infections and other heart conditions. For example, a type of malformed aortic valve may be a bicuspid aortic valve. About 1.4 % of the population is born with a bicuspid valve abnormality which means that instead of having three flaps that open for blood to flow through, two are fused together.  If your valve is too narrow or doesn’t allow enough blood to flow through it, this causes blood to pass through a smaller, restricted opening.  These valves include the mitral valve, tricuspid valve, pulmonary valve and aortic valve. Each valve has flaps that open and close once during each heartbeat. Sometimes, the valves don't open or close properly, disrupting the blood flow through your heart to your body. 

Prevention of disease: Heart-healthy eating, physical activity, other heart-healthy lifestyle changes, and medicines aimed at preventing a heart attack, high blood pressure, or heart failure also may help prevent heart valve disease.

For example, a heart-healthy diet, and medicines that lower cholesterol might prevent a heart valve disease called aortic stenosis which involves thickening and stiffening of the aortic valve, but this theory is still being researched.

You may be prescribed medications to treat your symptoms and to lessen the chance of further valve damage. Some drugs may be stopped after you have had heart valve surgery to correct the problem. Other medications may need to be taken all your life. 

Surgical options include heart valve repair or replacement. Valves can be repaired or replaced with traditional heart valve surgery or a minimally invasive heart valve surgery. Heart valves may also be repaired by other procedures such as percutaneous balloon valvotomy.