Aortic Valve Stenosis

Most people who have aortic valve stenosis are born with a normal, healthy Reference aortic valve Opens New Window Reference Opens New Window but develop aortic stenosis late in life. Aging and calcium buildup cause the leaflets of the valve to thicken and harden, preventing the valve from opening properly. Typically, stenosis develops slowly over many years.

Most young people and teens who have aortic valve stenosis developed it from a Reference congenital heart defect. The most common heart defect that causes aortic stenosis is a Reference bicuspid aortic valve Opens New Window Reference Opens New Window.

Some people may develop aortic stenosis after having Reference 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 the United States since the 1970s.

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