Health's Book

Definition

The aorta is the main artery leaving the heart. When blood leaves the heart, it flows from the lower chamber (the left ventricle), through the aortic valve, into the aorta. In aortic stenosis, the aortic valve does not open fully. This restricts blood flow.

Symptoms

People with aortic stenosis may have no symptoms at all until late in the course of the disease. The diagnosis may have been made when the healthcare provider heard a heart murmur and then performed additional tests.

Symptoms of aortic stenosis include:

• Breathlessness with activity
• Chest pain, angina-type
• Crushing, squeezing, pressure, tightness
• Pain increases with exercise, relieved with rest
• Under the chest bone, may move to other areas
• Fainting, weakness, or dizziness with activity
• Sensation of feeling the heart beat (palpitations)

  In infants and children, symptoms include:

• Becoming tired or fatigued with exertion more easily than others (in mild cases)
• Serious breathing problems that develop within days or weeks of birth (in severe cases)

Children with mild or moderate aortic stenosis may get worse as they get older. They also run the risk of developing a heart infection (bacterial endocarditis).