AIM: To evaluate, by colour-Doppler echocardiography, the effects of ageing on the continence of the heart valves in patients with normal hearts. METHODS: We reviewed all the consecutive echocardiographic examinations performed in our laboratory from 1988 to 1994. From a total of 4592 records, 1654 (977 from females and 677 from males) were selected as normal-that is, not having excluded any kind of valvular, chamber or wall pathology of the heart. These records alone were considered in the study. RESULTS: One or more valve regurgitations were evident on 286 of the records (17.3%; 202 from females and 84 from males); regurgitation was always mild and was more frequent in females (20.7% compared with 12.4% of males; P < 0.001). Mitral regurgitation was the most frequent (49.3% of all regurgitant valves), followed by tricuspid, aortic and pulmonary. In age groups 0-17 years and > or = 60 years there was no sex difference in regurgitation. With ageing, there was an increasing trend in prevalence of regurgitation of the mitral, aortic and tricuspid valves in females (P < 0.001, P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively), and of aortic and mitral valves in males (P < 0.001 for both). Multiple regurgitation (two or three valves) was not sex-dependent, but showed an increasing trend with ageing (from 13% to 27.5% of records showing regurgitation; positive trend, P < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of mild valvular regurgitation is age-dependent, but is more common in women than in men aged 18-59 years; there is no sex-related difference in patients aged 60 years or more.
AIM: To evaluate, by colour-Doppler echocardiography, the effects of ageing on the continence of the heart valves in patients with normal hearts. METHODS: We reviewed all the consecutive echocardiographic examinations performed in our laboratory from 1988 to 1994. From a total of 4592 records, 1654 (977 from females and 677 from males) were selected as normal-that is, not having excluded any kind of valvular, chamber or wall pathology of the heart. These records alone were considered in the study. RESULTS: One or more valve regurgitations were evident on 286 of the records (17.3%; 202 from females and 84 from males); regurgitation was always mild and was more frequent in females (20.7% compared with 12.4% of males; P < 0.001). Mitral regurgitation was the most frequent (49.3% of all regurgitant valves), followed by tricuspid, aortic and pulmonary. In age groups 0-17 years and > or = 60 years there was no sex difference in regurgitation. With ageing, there was an increasing trend in prevalence of regurgitation of the mitral, aortic and tricuspid valves in females (P < 0.001, P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively), and of aortic and mitral valves in males (P < 0.001 for both). Multiple regurgitation (two or three valves) was not sex-dependent, but showed an increasing trend with ageing (from 13% to 27.5% of records showing regurgitation; positive trend, P < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of mild valvular regurgitation is age-dependent, but is more common in women than in men aged 18-59 years; there is no sex-related difference in patients aged 60 years or more.