Highlighting heart valve disease for American Heart Month

SAN DIEGO (KUSI)- February is American Heart Month and tonight we’re putting the spotlight on the five million Americans diagnosed with heart valve disease each year. It’s known as the mystery killer and for good reason.

What former patient Derek Denziger thought was exhaustion, quickly turned into something much worse when he suffered from a mitral valve prolapse, a common condition and form of heart valve disease. Had it not been found in time, doctors say he could have died.

Derek is here to share his story along with Dr. Karl Limmer, a cardio-thoracic surgeon at Sharp Memorial Hospital.