Your aorta is the main artery through which oxygenated blood flows out of the heart to the rest of your body. And your aortic valve prevents blood from back flowing into the left ventricle once it’s been pumped into the aorta.
Aortic valve stenosis, aka aortic stenosis, means your aortic valve has narrowed to such an extent that blood flow into your aorta is reduced. And because this narrowing causes blow flow restriction your heart must pump harder to meet the demand.
Eventually, the extra work caused by the reduced blood flow of aortic valve stenosis will weaken your heart, which further reduces the amount of blood that is actually pumped. Thus, the reduced blood flow and a weak heart are what ultimately leads to the symptoms of aortic stenosis.
Initially, aortic valve stenosis may not cause you any symptoms. As your aortic valve narrows, the reduced blood flow coupled with a weak heart and blood backing up into your heart’s left ventricle may cause some of these typical symptoms:
- fatigue
- dyspnea
- syncope
- dizziness
- heart murmur
- lightheadedness
- heart palpitations
- chest pain, tightness, pressure
Several of these symptoms may be more pronounced with exertion and relieved with rest. And some aortic stenosis symptoms resemble those of other health conditions, heart problems or heart valve damage.
Left untreated, aortic valve stenosis can led to serious heart issues because of a weakened hearted, like:
Aortic valve stenosis increases your risk of endocarditis because a narrowed aortic valve is more prone to a bacterial infection getting into your bloodstream and causing your heart an infection.
Primary causes of aortic valve stenosis are:
- congenital heart defect
- calcium buildup on aortic valve
- rheumatic fever ~ strep throat infection complication
Rarely, radiation treatment to the chest and some medications may cause aortic stenosis.
At the outset, medications may be prescribed in an attempt to ease your reduced blood flow and weak heart symptoms. But as your aortic valve stenosis health condition worsens, you’ll probably need an aortic valve replacement, or at least surgical repair.
Aortic valve replacement entails removing your blood restrictive aortic valve and replacing it with either a mechanical valve or a tissue valve. A mechanical valve is metal, so they’ll essentially last forever.
However, mechanical valve replacement carries the risk of blood clots forming around the valve, so you’ll be required to take an anticoagulant drug, i.e. warfarin, for life. And warfarin is brought to with some pretty hefty drug side effects.
On the other hand, tissue valves are not as durable, therefore it might need to be replaced at some point. And aortic valve replacement surgery involves an extensive recovery period.
Once your aortic valve stenosis health condition has been discovered, your health care provider will likely recommend that you limit any strenuous activity to avoid overworking and weakening your heart.