Affairs of the heart

There are four valves in the heart, two on the left side, which are known as the mitral valve and aortic valve and two on the right called the ricuspid valve and pulmonary valve. Valvular heart disease can be described as any fault or abnormality of one or more of the valves and is characterised by stenosis, which is the narrowing of the valve, and regurgitation whereby blood flows in the wrong direction between chambers. The majority of valvular heart disease affects the aortic and mitral valves. Mitral valve prolapse Mitral valve prolapse is found in between 6% and 20% of h...