What Is Aortic Stenosis? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

If your symptoms are mild, your healthcare provider may keep an eye on your condition with regular appointments. They may also recommend heart-healthy lifestyle changes and certain medications.

If your aortic stenosis is severe, treatment options may include replacing the aortic valve.

Medication Options

These medications may include:

• Anti-arrhythmic medications, to keep your heart rhythm normal when arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats) develop
• Anticoagulants or blood thinners, to reduce the risk of blood clots
• Beta-blockers, to decrease the heart’s workload and reduce palpitations
• ACE Inhibitors, to decrease blood pressure when hypertension is present
• Diuretics, to reduce the amount of fluid in the tissues and the bloodstream
• Vasodilators, to open and relax the blood vessels

Surgery

Aortic Valve Replacement Aortic valve replacement is frequently needed to treat aortic valve stenosis. The surgery involves removing the damaged valve and replacing it with a mechanical valve or a valve made from cow, pig, or human heart tissue. If you have a mechanical valve, you must take blood-thinning medications for the rest of your life to prevent blood clots.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a less invasive procedure in which doctors use a catheter to replace an aortic valve that has narrowed. TAVR may be the best option for you if you’re at high risk of complications from surgical aortic valve replacement.

Aortic Valve Repair In rare cases, surgeons repair an aortic valve to treat aortic stenosis.

Balloon Valvuloplasty To treat aortic valve stenosis in infants and children, doctors may insert a catheter with a balloon on the tip into an artery in your arm or groin and guide it to the aortic valve. They then inflate the balloon, which expands the opening of the narrowed valve. For adults, this procedure is typically only performed on those who are too sick to manage a more invasive surgery like aortic valve replacement.

Prevention of Aortic Stenosis

Aortic stenosis may be prevented by:

• Keeping Your Heart Healthy High blood pressure, obesity, and high cholesterol levels may be linked to aortic stenosis, so stay healthy by keeping your blood pressure, weight, and cholesterol level in check.
• Maintaining Good Oral Hygiene Infected gums can cause inflammation of heart tissue that can aggravate aortic stenosis.
• Avoiding Rheumatic Fever See your doctor if you have a sore throat. Left untreated, strep throat can develop into rheumatic fever, which can cause aortic stenosis.