Statistics are somewhat grim, or reassuring.
I'll start with the reassuring statistic. Bicuspid Aortic Valve disease (abbreviated to BAV) is the most common congenital heart defect, occuring in 1-2% of the population. It is twice as common in men as women (okay, so I drew the short straw on this one!).
Okay, so now for the grim statistics.
More than 1/3 of BAV patients will experience a serious complication at some point.
It is most often diagnosed in the 30-50 age range, which puts me at 21 on the lower end of things.
80% will someday need surgery.
Not that many places do valve repairs at this time, which means valve replacement-usually with a mechanical valve that requires blood thinners for the rest of your life.
Okay, so there's the stats for tonight.
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