Valvular heart disease in the spotlight – new journal, new guidelines and new ESC Council!
29 Aug 2025
With an ageing population and improved survival, valvular heart disease (VHD) now affects up to 10% of people aged 65–74 years and up to 20% aged older than 75 years.1,2 Approximately 41 million people worldwide have rheumatic heart disease. Other valve diseases, more common in Western countries, are increasing in prevalence including calcific aortic stenosis, functional mitral regurgitation and tricuspid regurgitation.1,2
“Faced with a huge burden of disease and a rapidly moving field, the time is now right to introduce a dedicated journal on valvular and structural heart disease to ensure the ESC Journal Family fully encompasses all specialties and maintains a flow of the latest insights and breakthroughs in one space,” says Professor Marco Metra, Editor-in-Chief of the ESC Journal Family’s newest addition: the European Heart Journal - Valvular and Structural Heart Disease (EHJ-VSHD).
“This is not just an interventional topic – the journal will also cover basic science, cardiovascular medicine and surgery, appealing to the wider community who treat patients with valvular and structural heart disease in their daily practice,” Prof. Metra notes. EHJ-VSHD will take advantage of the manuscript transfer system already fully utilised by existing ESC Journals. The first issue is due to appear in October 2025 and, along with original research, reviews, thought-leader opinion pieces and editorials, it will feature the brand new 2025 ESC/EACTS Guidelines on Valvular Heart Disease. A summary of the latest recommendations will be presented today at ESC Congress, with the opportunity later to ask questions of the Guidelines Task Force.
It’s not just the new journal and guidelines that are raising the profile of VHD. The newly created ESC Council on Valvular Heart Disease builds on the expertise of working groups on VHD that already exist within ESC Associations. The council unites experts across a truly interdisciplinary field: from cardiovascular imagers, interventional cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons to congenital heart disease specialists and basic scientists. It aims to support VHD research, develop and share knowledge among both cardiologists and non-cardiologists, and improve the pathway from screening to treatment. Its Chair-Elect, Professor Victoria Delgado, explains, “The new council is the lighthouse for thousands of clinicians who manage patients with VHD. Healthcare professionals will find all the resources they need to stay up-to-date with the most advanced tools to detect early significant VHD and to have timely discussions with the Heart Valve Team about the most appropriate therapies, so avoiding unnecessary delays. Members of the new council will have first access to new publications, registrations to dedicated courses and will form part of a vibrant community in constant evolution.” Join the new council – let’s rethink valvular heart health, together!
References
- Coffey S, et al. Nat Rev Cardiol. 2021;18:853–864.
- Messika-Zeitoun D, et al. Eur Heart J. 2023;44:1862–1873.
