The global prevalence of patients with degenerative mitral valve disease more than doubled to 16.1 million cases with an attributed 39,800 deaths in 2023. Moreover, mortality and disability were worse in women and low-resource areas, highlighting the need for affordable diagnostic and treatment tools.
These are findings were reported today at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference (31 October–3 November, San Diego, USA),
Degenerative mitral valve disease is a treatable condition and one of the most prevalent valvular heart diseases in high-income countries. Left untreated, it causes significant disability, excess heart failure (HF) hospitalisation and death. Access to treatment is limited by centre expertise, cost and device availability. The condition’s global prevalence and associated mortality remain poorly understood, particularly in under-resourced regions.
The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study is a comprehensive systematic effort to quantify the burden of diseases across countries and regions worldwide. Using GBD data, researchers evaluated the global and regional burden and mortality of degenerative mitral valve disease from 1990 to 2023.
Researchers applied a standardised case definition of degenerative mitral valve disease to select data sources for the analysis. Cases were identified through echocardiographic evidence of moderate or severe mitral regurgitation (MR) or through ICD codes in clinical records. The analysis also excluded non-degenerative causes of MR, including congenital, rheumatic, infectious, traumatic, carcinoid and functional causes.
In the analysis, the global prevalence of degenerative mitral valve disease increased over the 30-year period by 126% to an estimated 16.1 million individuals, while deaths increased by 75% to 39,800. However, the age-standardised prevalence rate remained relatively unchanged (175.4 per 100,000).
Prevalence and mortality were higher in high socio-demographic index (SDI) regions than in low SDI regions, and both were higher among older adults. In patients older than 70 years of age, there were an estimated 11.7 million cases globally with deaths peaking at 85-89 years. DMVD was more prevalent in men (2.39 million compared to 1.29 million), while there was a greater absolute number of deaths in women (24,400 versus 15,400). Although global mortality increased by 75% over the 30-year study period, age-standardized mortality decreased (~0.67 to ~0.45 per 100,000). Importantly, this global decline is driven by high SDI countries, while mortality is rising in low SDI countries.
“The global burden of degenerative mitral valve disease is growing quickly,” said Juan F Granada, president and CEO of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation. “For the first time, we can quantify this burden and clearly see the significant healthcare disparities across regions, sex and socioeconomic groups. These disparities highlight the urgent need for earlier detection and equitable access to timely treatment.”
The study was internally funded by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) and the Gates Foundation.
