Valvular heart disease and the military patient

Abstract

Valvular heart disease refers to all inherited and acquired abnormalities impairing the function of one or more of the four cardiac valves. Pathology may be of the valve leaflets themselves, of the subvalvular apparatus or of the annulus or other surrounding structures that influences valve function. This paper examines the most common valve lesions, with specific reference to a military population; it focuses on detection and initial management of valve disease in a young adult population and specifically describes how the diagnosis and treatment of valve disease impacts military medical grading.