Aortic stenosis or aortic valve narrowing is a disease that may occur with age, over 70 or 80 years old. The risk of late diagnosis and treatment, the warning symptoms and what should be done, were the theme of the interview with Rui Campante Teles , interventional cardiologist from Hospital da Luz Lisboa, on the RTP TV show “Programa da Manhã”. This disease is estimated to affect about 32 thousand Portuguese, most of them over 70. With the ageing of the population, this number tends to increase. “With age, the heart valves can calcify, narrowing, and when this happens, the blood cannot flow normally, compromising circulation and generating cardiac insufficiency”, explained the specialist, who integrates the coordinating team in Portugal of the project “Corações de Amanhã” (Hearts for the Future), promoted by the Portuguese Association of Cardiovascular Intervention (APIC). Therefore, it is fundamental to be alert to certain complaints usually undervalued, because they tend to be explained as natural in ageing, but which are signs of cardiac valve disease, namely aortic stenosis or a mitral valve disease, the most common diseases of the heart valves . Rui Campante Teles gave a few examples: Feeling increasingly tired in daily activity, which didn’t happen before; Dizziness or light-headedness; Irregular beating of the heart; Shortness of air and chest discomfort; Swollen legs; Not being able to sleep lying down. Contrary to other heart diseases, valve diseases are generally progressive and, when identified early, allow some time to react – procedures having been developed recently, such as catheterization, to repair / replace the aortic valve through minimally invasive means. In this sense, Rui Campante Teles expressed a note of warning: “In the presence of the aforementioned symptoms, consult the doctor as soon as possible in order to assess the situation. Once the disease diagnosed, it must be properly treated, otherwise it may threaten life”. Hospital da Luz Lisboa has programs dedicated to the treatment of the heart valves through Interventional Cardiology techniques, with a highly differentiated response capacity. Interview with Rui Campante Teles on RTP (between minutes 6:00 and 12:45)
