Who Is At Risk for Heart Valve Disease?

Populations Affected

Older people are more likely to develop heart valve disease. It's estimated that 1 in 8 people age 75 or older have at least moderate heart valve disease.

People who have a history of endocarditis, rheumatic fever, heart attack, or heart failure—or previous heart valve disease—are more likely to develop heart valve disease.

About 1 to 2 percent of people are born with an aortic valve that has two flaps instead of three. Sometimes an aortic valve may have three flaps, but two flaps are fused together and act as one flap. This is called a bicuspid or bicommissural aortic valve. People who have this congenital condition are more likely to develop aortic heart valve disease.

Major Risk Factors

The major risk factors for acquired heart valve disease are:

• Age
• Heart disease risk factors, such as unhealthy blood cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, smoking, insulin resistance, diabetes, overweight or obesity, lack of physical activity, and a family history of early heart disease
• Risk factors for endocarditis, such as intravenous drug use