Warning Signs Of Aortic Stenosis

Chest Pain

Chest pain is a common symptom of aortic valve stenosis. The most common type of chest pain that occurs in aortic stenosis is referred to as angina pectoris. Unlike most patients who experience this type of angina, those with aortic stenosis-precipitated angina do not have coronary artery disease or atherosclerosis. Instead, angina pectoris in aortic valve stenosis patients is thought to occur because of inadequate left ventricular hypertrophy, a condition where the left ventricle of a patient's heart becomes thickened or enlarged. Just like any other muscle in the body that is forced to work harder over time, the heart muscle tissues begin to thicken and enlarge. This mechanism only occurs in the patient's left ventricle because that part has to work harder to push blood out of the malfunctioning aortic valve. The thick muscle tissues in the left ventricle of an affected individual can compress the coronary arteries that supply it with blood. This compression and blood restriction is what causes chest pain in aortic stenosis patients.

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