Persistent fatigue during everyday activities such as climbing stairs or carrying groceries often gets attributed to stress, ageing, or lack of sleep. However, cardiologists caution that such unusual tiredness might hint at an underlying heart issue, particularly if it becomes chronic or worsens. One potential cause they highlight is a heart valve disorder, where the heart’s valves, responsible for directing blood flow, become narrow, stiff, or leaky. This condition forces the heart to exert more effort to circulate blood, reducing oxygen supply to muscles and organs, and resulting in constant fatigue even from minimal exertion.
Heart valve issues like aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation can disrupt the heart’s efficiency. In these cases, blood flow might be restricted or leak backward, impairing the heart’s functionality. Unlike fatigue from stress or poor sleep, which usually improves with rest, heart-related fatigue persists and can increasingly disrupt daily life. Medical professionals advise being vigilant for symptoms accompanying this fatigue, such as shortness of breath during light activity, chest discomfort, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, and swelling in the feet, ankles, or abdomen.
Such symptoms often go unnoticed initially, as the heart compensates by working harder, leading many to mistakenly attribute them to ageing or poor fitness. Older adults, especially those with high blood pressure, diabetes, past heart infections, or rheumatic fever history, are more susceptible to valve disorders. However, younger individuals are not immune, as congenital defects or infections can also lead to valve problems.
Regular medical check-ups are crucial for early detection, experts advise, as heart valve issues can sometimes be identified during examinations through a heart murmur. Follow-up tests like echocardiograms, ECGs, stress tests, or CT scans might be necessary for a definitive diagnosis. Treatment for valve disorders varies based on severity. While mild cases may only need monitoring and lifestyle adjustments, more severe conditions could require valve repair or replacement, with minimally invasive options available.