Who is affected by aortic valve stenosis?
The majority of people who have aortic valve stenosis are older than 65 and have developed the condition slowly, over many years.
Most young people and teens who have the condition developed it as a result of a defect at birth (congenital heart defect). The most common heart defect that causes aortic stenosis is a bicuspid aortic valve
. This is the most common cause of aortic stenosis in people younger than 65. A normal (tricuspid) aortic valve has three flaps called leaflets; a bicuspid valve only has two leaflets.
Males are 4 times more likely than females to have aortic stenosis.1
Some people may develop aortic stenosis after having rheumatic fever as a child. It usually takes 30 to 40 years after a case of rheumatic fever for aortic stenosis to develop. Rheumatic fever has been rare in Canada and the United States since the 1970s.
| Author: | Douglas Dana Robin Parks, MS | Last Updated: January 22, 2008 |
| Medical Review: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine George Philippides, MD - Cardiology Andrew Swan, MD, CCFP, FCFP - Family Medicine | |
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