The next general category of heart disease concerns problems with the heart valves. Heart valves make ensure that blood only flows forward inside the heart. There are 4 valves in the heart, 2 on the right side and 2 on the left side. In this diagram, blood returns from the body and goes to the right side of the heart, through one valve called the tricuspid valve and then through another valve called the pulmonic valve to go to the lung. After blood goes through the lung, it goes to the left side of the heart, first through one valve called the mitral valve, and then out through the aortic valve to the rest of the body.

Problems with the heart’s valve almost always concern the valves on the left side of the body because they handle higher blood pressures. The aortic valve is the more common one with problems. There can be 2 problems with the valve. It can leak blood backwards and this is called aortic insufficiency, or it can be tight and not let blood go through. This is called aortic stenosis and is more common. When you start getting symptoms from the valve like pain or shortness of breath or fainting, most people die in 2-5 years if it is not fixed. Fixing it means replacing the valve because it is almost impossible to fix the aortic valve.

This is a picture of a tight valve. You can probably see the calcium deposits on it which don’t allow it to open and let blood through.

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