When including mild-to-moderate VHD, overall prevalence is 18.4 percent, at least 10.6 million people
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 5, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The prevalence of moderate or greater valvular heart disease (VHD) in the United States is 8.2 percent, according to a study presented at the 2025 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics conference, held from Oct. 25 to 28 in San Francisco.
Michael Brener, M.D., from the New York-Presbyterian Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City, and colleagues examined the population prevalence of VHD in a cohort of 3,000 individuals aged 65 to 85 years who were enrolled from all 50 states between April 2022 and April 2025.
The researchers found that the overall prevalence of moderate or greater VHD was 8.2 percent, representing at least 4.7 million people. There was an increase in prevalence seen with advanced age (5.1, 7.0, 10.5, and 14.7 percent for people aged 65 to 69, 70 to 74, 75 to 79, and 80 to 85 years, respectively). The most common type of VHD was tricuspid regurgitation, followed by aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation, and aortic regurgitation (3.7, 3.1, 2.0, and 0.7 percent, respectively). When including mild-to-moderate VHD, overall prevalence increased to 18.4 percent (representing at least 10.6 million people), and the rate increased with age (12.1 and 31.4 percent for those aged 65 to 69 and 80 to 85 years, respectively). When including mild-to-moderate disease, the most common type of VHD was tricuspid regurgitation (10.7 percent).
“These findings clearly show that the prevalence of these conditions is substantial and will continue to grow over the next several decades as the population continues to age,” coauthor David Cohen, M.D., from St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center in Roslyn, New York, said in a statement.
One author disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical and medical device industries.
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