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Question:
Which is worse a leaking aortic or mitral valve?
What is worse, having a leaky aortic valve or leaky mitral valve? I have been told I have both.
submitted by Chris from Conroe, Texas on 8/11/2014
Answer:
by Texas Heart Institute cardiologist, Raymond F. Stainback, MD
Having severe mitral leak is probably worse than severe aortic leakage if it had come on slowly and become chronic. The heart does not tolerate sudden severe leakage of either valve. That said, mild or moderate degrees of aortic and / or mitral leakage can be tolerated by the heart’s adaptive mechanisms for a long time—years— with little ill effects if properly monitored. It all depends on how much leakage, how quickly it developed & for how long.
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Updated August 2014
