Degenerative Mitral Stenosis Versus Rheumatic Mitral Stenosis

Mitral stenosis is classically caused by rheumatic disease (RMS). However, degenerative mitral stenosis (DMS) is increasingly encountered, particularly in developed countries with aging populations. The aim of this study was to compare clinical and echocardiographic characteristics between the 2 entities. One hundred fifteen patients with DMS were identified from an echocardiographic database in the United States and compared with 510 patients with RMS from Seoul, Korea. All subjects had a mitral valve area (MVA)