Prevalence, presentations and etiologies of valvular heart disease in south China: a prospective study

Abstract

Aims: Valvular heart disease (VHD) is common in developing country; however, there is little contemporary information on its prevalence, presentation and etiologies. Methods and results: This prospective registry enrolled 2779 patients (median age 55 years, 53.5% male) presenting with cardiovascular symptoms referred for transthoracic echocardiography in our hospital between January 2014 to January 2016. The prevalence of significant (moderate or severe) VHD is 5.8% with a mean age of 60 years. In particular, 75.2% had mitral regurgitation, 27.3% had mitral stenosis, 70.8% had aortic regurgitation and 23% had aortic stenosis. Among these patients, 15.5% had mitral valve prolapse (MVP), 59% had chronic rheumatic heart disease (CRHD) and 25.5% had degenerative valve disease. The demographics and clinical presentations of VHD in different etiologies were shown in the table. Nearly half of the patients with CRHD had atrial fibrillation and 20% of patients with MVP presented with infective endocarditis. Further, the prevalence of significant tricuspid regurgitation is present in 85% presented with VHD. Conclusion: Patient with VHD in South China is common of which CRHD remained a significant disease entity. Atrial fibrillation is prevalent in patients with CRHD and 20% of patients with MVP was presented with infective endocarditis. Importantly, tricuspid regurgitation, a condition that is associated with poor outcome, is frequently seen in these patients.