Incidence of Mitral Valvular Disease in the Elderly

Valvular heart disease: A study of mortality in the Sheffield population

“…Previous studies have suggested that mitral valve disease is found in 2.2% of hospital necropsies on patients aged 60 years and over (Hammond and Platts, 1960) and in 3-1 % of hospital necropsies on patients aged 50 years and over (Hargreaves, 1961). In the former series 30% were undiagnosed, but in the latter less than 5%.…”

“…Mitral stenosis is not uncommon in the elderly (Hammond and Platts, 1960;Hargreaves, 1961) in whom the diagnosis is often overlooked. Studies of hospital necropsies have suggested that 25% of cases are over the age of 60 years and that 70 % of such cases are diagnosed in life (Hammond and Platts, 1960).…”

“…Studies of hospital necropsies have suggested that 25% of cases are over the age of 60 years and that 70 % of such cases are diagnosed in life (Hammond and Platts, 1960). The age incidence and diagnostic accuracy may be different in patients dying at home.…”

Rheumatic Mitral Valve Disease in the Elderly

“…Some clinical studies-for example, those of Baker and Musgrave (1947), Cookson (1949), Kaufman and Poliakoff (1950), Appel and Kossmann (1951), and Hebbert and Rankin (1954)-have emphasized the relatively large number of cases of mitral valve disease in elderly patients. Hammond and Platts (1960) have drawn attention to the numbers of patients over the age of 60 who were found at necropsy to have mitral valve disease. Varying figures have been recorded concerning the incidence of rheumatic mitral valve disease found in patients over the age of 50, based on post-mortem studies: Cabot (1926) gives a figure of 33%, Boas andFineberg (1926) 34%, andCoombs (1924) only 9%.…”