• Centers and Departments
• Back to Diseases and Conditions
• Valve Disease
• Aortic Insufficiency
  • Signs and Symptoms
  • Risk Factors
  • Causes
  • Diagnosis
  • Treatments
  • Physicians and Services
• Aortic Stenosis
• Aortic Valve Endocarditis
• Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease
• Mitral Valve Endocarditis
• Mitral Valve Prolapse
• Mitral Valve Regurgitation
• Mitral Valve Stenosis

Causes

Any Condition That Damages Your Aortic Valve

Any condition that damages your aortic valve can cause aortic insufficiency. Among the most common causes are:

• Deterioration of the Valve With Age 
  
  The aortic valve opens and shuts tens of thousands of times a day, every day. Aortic valve insufficiency may result from age-related wear and tear.
  
  
• Aortic Dissection
  
  A sudden tear in the aorta associated with aneurysm, hypertension, trauma or some congenital defects.
  
  
• Congenital Valve Problems
  
  
• Endocarditis
  
  The aortic valve may be damaged by this infection inside your heart that involves heart valves.
  
  
• Rheumatic Fever
  
  This complication of strep throat was once a common childhood illness in the United States. It can damage the aortic valve, leading to aortic valve regurgitation later on.
  
  
• High Blood Pressure