Heart Valve Disease: Associated Conditions

A number of other conditions and factors are sometimes linked to heart valve disease, although it's often unknown how these conditions actually cause heart valve disease.

These conditions include:

• Systemic lupus erythmatosis (SLE). SLE and other immune diseases can affect the aortic and mitral valves.

• Carcinoid syndrome. Tumors in the digestive tract that spread to the liver or lymph nodes can affect the tricuspid and pulmonary valves.

• Metabolic disorders. Relatively uncommon diseases, such as Fabry disease and hyperlipidemia, can affect the heart valves.

• Diet medicines. The use of fenfluramine and phentermine has sometimes been linked to heart valve problems. These problems typically stabilize or improve after the medicine is stopped. 

• Radiation therapy. Radiation therapy to the chest area can cause heart valve disease. This therapy is used to treat cancer. Heart valve disease due to radiation therapy may not cause symptoms for as many as 20 years after the therapy ends.

• Marfan syndrome. Congenital disorders, such as Marfan syndrome, and other connective tissue disorders mainly affect the structure of the body's main arteries. However, these conditions also can also affect the heart valves.

This information has been adapted from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.