Epidemiology of heart valve disease

In developed countries, degenerative valve disease has replaced rheumatic heart disease (RHD) as the leading cause of valvular heart disease (VHD). The prevalence of at least moderate VHD is 2.5% and increases with age. Mitral regurgitation and aortic stenosis are the most common VHD in the community and hospital settings, respectively. RHD remains the most common cause of VHD in developing countries and affects 33.4 million people worldwide. The incidence of infective endocarditis has remained stable at 3 to 7 cases per 100,000 person years, but Staphylococcus has replaced Streptococcus as the most common organism. The number of adults living with congenital heart disease has increased significantly in recent decades due to extraordinary advances in cardiovascular medicine and surgery.