Hyderabad: Heart health is gaining increasing attention in India, driven by growing awareness of the importance of early diagnosis and access to advanced treatment options. Structural heart diseases, especially those affecting the heart valves, form a major part of the overall cardiovascular disease spectrum.
Structural heart diseases refer to issues with the heart’s valves, walls, and/or muscle. These heart problems affect millions of people worldwide, and that number’s projected to grow as the population ages. Among the many structural heart diseases is mitral regurgitation (MR) — a problem with the mitral valve, which helps control blood flow between two chambers of the heart. When this valve doesn’t close properly, blood leaks backwards, making the heart work harder than it should. While there is no nationwide incidence rate for MR in India, due to a lack of official disease registries, hospital data and epidemiological studies show a significant and complex burden of this condition, driven by both traditional rheumatic heart disease and modern cardiovascular risk factors.
There are typically two types of mitral valve regurgitation — degenerative and functional. In degenerative mitral regurgitation or DMR, the valve itself is damaged —often due to ageing infections or other conditions. Treatment often involves surgical repair or replacement of the valve. In functional mitral regurgitation (FMR), the heart becomes enlarged, pulling the valve apart so it can’t close optimally. This is usually brought on by heart failure or heart attacks.
Both types of mitral regurgitation lead to symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue, and heart palpitations, impacting a patient’s quality of life. While comprehensive national data is limited, regional and global estimates suggest that moderate-to-severe MR affects approximately 11.6 million of the general population in Asia, with prevalence rising sharply with age.[i] In India, where the population is ageing and cardiovascular risk factors are on the rise, the burden of MR is substantial and underrecognized. It’s especially common in older adults, affecting nearly one in ten people over the age of 75.
A New Path for High-Risk Patients
Traditionally, open-heart surgery either to repair or replace the mitral valve, has been the standard treatment for MR. However, not all patients can handle such a major, invasive surgery, especially elderly individuals or those with advanced heart failure and other complex health conditions. Medication too, especially in functional MR, may not be enough.
For patients who cannot undergo open-heart surgery, or need support beyond medicines, transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) has become an established, minimally invasive treatment option. Instead of opening the chest or stopping the heart, doctors can perform a MitraClip procedure developed by healthcare company Abbott — using a small clip delivered through a vein in the leg to fix the mitral valve. With this transcatheter solution, the mitral valve is able to open and close on either side of the clip, helping the heart pump more efficiently and improving overall blood flow. This approach helps reduce mitral regurgitation and improves patient outcomes.
Neeraj Singh, Country Manager for Abbott’s Structural Heart business in India, shared his thoughts on this technology:“The growing adoption of transcatheter mitral valve repair in India marks a meaningful shift in how we approach structural heart care. For patients who are too high-risk for open-heart surgery, this minimally invasive therapy is opening new doors —helping restore heart function, ease symptoms, and most importantly, improve quality of life. Since launching our MitraClip therapy in India, we’ve been able to help hundreds of people on their journey to better heart health. Globally, over the past 20+ years, more than 250,000 procedures have been performed using this technology. These numbers aren’t just statistics — they reflect the expanding reach of advanced cardiac care and our continued commitment to making innovative, evidence-based solutions more accessible to those who need them most.”
Improving Outcomes and Expanding Access
As India continues to confront the growing burden of structural heart disease, especially among its older population, the emergence of such technologies offer hope. By bridging the gap between diagnosis and accessible treatment, these innovations are not only transforming clinical outcomes but also restoring dignity and quality of life for patients who once had limited options. The path forward lies in expanding awareness and strengthening early detection — empowering more people to choose a healthier heart and a fuller life.