Heart Valve Deaths Rise Among Older U.S. Adults

Death rates from heart valve disease among Americans aged 65 and older have climbed since 2018 after nearly two decades of decline.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Heart Disease

Photograph of a single anatomical heart valve model on a steel clinical tray beside a window in a quiet, empty corridor. — Death rates from heart valve disease among U.S. adults aged 65 and older have risen since 2018, reversing nearly two decades of decline, researchers reported. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Heart valve disease death rates among U.S. adults aged 65 and older began rising in 2018, reversing almost two decades of decline. Researchers project the death rate will remain elevated until 2040.

Why it matters

The reversal departs from a long period of improvement and suggests that gains in treating valvular disease in older Americans may not be durable. Deaths may reflect heart failure, frailty, kidney disease, and lung disease that accompany advanced valve disease, and access concerns in rural communities may delay diagnosis and treatment.

Federal mortality data show the death rate per 100,000 people fell from 123.2 in 1999 before climbing to 109.2 in 2023, with men at 124.7 and women at 103.1. The cause of the reversal and the accuracy of the 2040 projection remain unresolved.

The players

American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a major U.S. nonprofit focused on cardiovascular health research and public education, and its Scientific Sessions is where these findings were presented.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the federal agency whose WONDER database supplied the mortality data analyzed in the study.

The details

Researchers analyzed CDC data covering 1999 to 2023 and pooled the figures to evaluate death rate trends and age-related patterns. Non-Hispanic white adults had the highest death rate of the racial and ethnic groups studied, and rates were higher in non-metropolitan areas than in metropolitan areas.

1999: Death rate begins its decline, recorded at 123.2 per 100,000.
2018: Heart valve disease death rates among older adults begin rising.
2023: Death rate reaches 109.2 per 100,000.
November 6-9, 2026: Findings presented at the AHA Scientific Sessions in Chicago.
2040: Projected end of the elevated death rate period.

Health Landscape

The study reverses a nearly two-decade decline in heart valve disease mortality recorded in CDC WONDER data from 1999 onward. The trend suggests that population-level gains against valvular disease among older Americans have stalled, shifting attention toward care for frail and multimorbid patients.

Older adults with known valve disease may be more vulnerable to heart failure, frailty, and kidney or lung complications that can accompany advanced disease. Those in rural areas may face delays in diagnosis and treatment, making timely cardiology follow-up especially important.

The takeaway

Tracking valve disease symptoms and keeping up with scheduled cardiology visits can help catch problems earlier, particularly for adults over 65. Ask a clinician about valve health if you notice breathlessness, fatigue, or swelling.