Heart & Vascular:

Conditions

Valves control the flow of blood into, through, and out of the heart. In valve disease, the valve may narrow (stenosis), reducing blood flow, or leak (regurgitation), allowing blood to flow backward through the valve. Common causes of valve disease include congenital heart conditions (present from birth), rheumatic fever (often associated with untreated strep throat or scarlet fever), the formation of calcium deposits around the valve, atherosclerosis (narrowing and hardening of the arteries), and endocarditis (inflammation of the lining inside the heart).

To learn about diagnosis, treatment, and therapies, please visit the Interventional Cardiology Program.