Challenges and Opportunities in Valvular Heart Disease: From Molecular Mechanisms to the Community
Elena Aïkawa, Mark C. Blaser, Sasha A. Singh, Robert A. Levine, Magdi H. Yacoub
Abstract
Valvular heart disease (VHD) takes a central stage in contemporary cardiology due to population aging and immense progress in percutaneous approaches to its treatment. VHD continues to be a major cause of death and suffering in both developed countries and low-and middle-income countries. In the United States, moderate-to-severe VHD occurs in 13.2% of people aged 75 years, with 2.8% for symptomatic calcific aortic stenosis and 9.3% for mitral valve regurgitation. Strikingly, there are no effective or approved medicines for any form of VHD. The only available therapy remains valve repair or replacement, which is a highly specialized, invasive, and costly procedure primarily performed in late-stage disease and often unavailable in developing countries.