Prevalence, incidence, patient characteristics, and treatment trends of valvular heart disease using the national database of health insurance claims of Japan

Diagnoses of VHD and comorbidity were based on claims data, so diagnostic criteria and disease severity are unknown, and misclassification of VHD types might have occurred. Incidence rates were based on the initial VHD diagnosis only, excluding any subsequent diagnoses of different VHD type. Conclusions: We presented basic information, which may provide an understanding of the clinical status of VHD in Japan.