Silent Killer Unmasked: 28% of “Healthy” Seniors Have Undiagnosed Heart Valve Disease

A study identified undiagnosed heart valve disease in 28% of people over 60, emphasizing the importance of better screening in managing health in older adults.

Almost 4,500 healthy and symptom-free over-60s were examined, with 28% found to have heart valve disease
Age was found to be strongly associated with an increased incidence of significant heart valve disease
Study lays the foundation for more research into the potential role of screening in the elderly population
The sheer scale of undiagnosed heart valve disease in our aging population has been revealed for the first time, thanks to new research led by the University of East Anglia.

More than a quarter of healthy and symptom-free over 60s examined in the study were found to have previously undetected heart valve disease.

Co-lead author Vassilios Vassiliou, Clinical Professor of Cardiac Medicine at UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said: “This study focused on understanding how widespread heart valve issues of any severity are among healthy, symptom-free adults without any known heart diseases.