Bicuspid aortic valve

[terriob]

I was just diagonsed with Bicuspid aortic valve. I am not on medications and my health is good...
Am I still able to drink alcohol??

[mrwjd]

Our bicuspid valves are congenital; normal is tricuspid, but one or two percent of people are born with just two cusps.  Most of us live a normal lifespan and have no symptoms and never know it.  But the bicuspid valve doesn't open as wide as it should, and so your heart might not move blood to your body as freely as it should, and the opening gets smaller and smaller.  This is called aortic stenosis, and when the valve gets tight enough and blood cannot be moved around your body normally, your heart is being damaged and the risk of a heart attack increases.  Many doctors use 1 sq. cm. as the rule of thumb for aggressive medical treatment.
  
NOTE THIS:  Even as your valve opening reduces in diameter, it may not necessarily affect your lifestyle until it's dangerously small. You may feel tired or "draggy," or dizzy or short of breath (don't ignore these symptoms!), or you may feel fine.  But one can get to the point, still feeling fine, where even a heavy meal or sudden exertion or a few minutes in a hot tub can put too much stress on the valve, causing it to unbalance your heart rhythm and result in sudden death.

So I think the answer is:  what you may safely eat, drink, or do may be anywhere from normal amounts to very little, depending on your present condition.  A cardiologist can tell you when practicing reasonable moderation in all things is sufficient, and when it isn't.  Don't imagine you are well because you aren't on medication--there is no medication for this condition--or because you feel normal--you will feel normal until you are well into the danger zone, and the presence of symptoms may be too late a warning sign.    

If your valve opening becomes so small that the risk of surgery is less than the risk of not having surgery, a cardiothoracic surgeon may swap out your aortic valve for one made of metal or a non-metal valve from a pig or cow.  If drinking alcohol is important to you, you must make this fact clear to the surgeon in advance, as it will greatly affect the type of valve he will implant and thus your future relationship with alcohol.

Be careful and good luck.