“Valvular heart disease (VHD) is a major cause of morbidity and premature death from cardiovascular diseases, making it an important clinical entity. Despite a dramatic decline in the incidence of rheumatic heart disease in industrialized countries, VHD remains highly prevalent. Although many VHDs are acquired during adult life, familial clustering and heritability have been noted for common heart valve defects.”

American Heart Association Journal (ahajournal.org)