The optimum strategy for managing heart valve disease is different for each patient.

• the type and severity of the valve abnormality
• the response of the heart muscle to the valve dysfunction
• constantly changing criteria for evaluation and treatment resulting from ongoing research
• continued improvement of treatment methods

Evaluation

In order to determine if a patient has heart valve disease and how serious it is, it is necessary to go through a series of clinical and objective evaluations.

Once the evaluation is complete, treatment recommendations are developed to mitigate the disease.

Symptoms

As is apparent from the case studies, some patients with severe heart valve disease may have symptoms and some may not. (Symptoms are complaints that patients report to the doctor.)

Common symptoms that generally indicate serious heart valve disease include:

• shortness of breath
  • aortic stenosis
  • mitral stenosis
  • aortic regurgitation
  • mitral regurgitation
• light-headedness, chest pain and feeling faint, particularly during exercise
  • aortic stenosis

Signs can indicate the severity of disease and modify conclusions based on symptoms alone. (Signs are abnormalities detected by a doctor during a physical examination.)