Narrowed aortic valve with no symptoms
Ask the doctor
Often, the first symptom of aortic stenosis is a little shortness of breath during activity. For example, you might notice that it's a little harder to walk up a flight of stairs or carry groceries, especially if you don't exercise regularly. However, the symptoms tend to come on gradually, so people don't always recognize them. Also, some people unconsciously adapt their behavior to avoid exertion. So to be on the safe side, I recommend getting an exercise stress test with an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) to make sure you're not experiencing early symptoms of aortic stenosis. During these tests, you're closely monitored while walking on a treadmill to see whether symptoms or signs of trouble occur during moderate exercise.
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