More than a quarter of apparently healthy people over 60 have undiagnosed heart valve disease, a landmark study suggests.
For the first time, research has revealed the number of Britons who unknowingly suffer from the condition, which can increase the chances of suffering a heart attack and stroke.
Almost 4,500 asymptomatic adults had heart scans, and 28 percent were found to have heart valve disease.
Cases were generally more severe with age, leading researchers to suggest that it could one day lead to targeted screening of those most at risk.
Blood flows through the heart and around the body in one direction.
More than a quarter of apparently healthy people over 60 have undiagnosed heart valve disease, landmark study suggests
Vassilios Vassiliou, clinical professor of cardiac medicine at UEA Norwich Medical School, said the study also showed that the older a person is, the greater their chances of having a valve problem.
For the first time, research has revealed the number of Britons who unknowingly suffer from the disease, which can increase the chances of heart attack and stroke (file image)
The four heart valves (pulmonary and tricuspid on the right, and aortic and mitral on the left of the heart) control blood flow.
Heart valve disease occurs when one or more of the valves do not work as they should.
Researchers from the University of East Anglia examined patients from Norfolk, the West Midlands and Aberdeen using echocardiography, an ultrasound of the heart.
Vassilios Vassiliou, clinical professor of cardiac medicine at UEA Norwich Medical School, said: “Our findings showed that more than 28 per cent of these adults had some form of valvular disease, although, reassuringly, it was only mild.” In most cases.
“The data also indicated… that the older a person is, the greater their chance of having a major valve problem.”
The main problems included valvular stenosis (when a valve does not open fully, restricting blood flow) and valvular regurgitation (when a valve does not close properly, allowing blood to flow back in the wrong direction).
Both can force the heart to work harder and, over time, increase the risk of having a heart attack, stroke, or other heart conditions.
Symptoms include difficulty breathing, chest pain, feeling weak, dizzy or tired, swollen ankles and feet, and palpitations in the chest or neck.
More studies are needed to see how screening tests could be used to help control the disease, says the article published in the European Heart Journal.
UEA Norwich Medical School was involved in the study, which found that of almost 4,500 asymptomatic adults, 28 per cent had heart valve disease.