Heart valve disease – symptoms and causes

overview

In valvular heart disease, one or more of the heart valves do not work properly.

Heart valve disease 
The heart has four valves to keep blood flowing in the right direction. In some cases, one or more valves do not open or close properly. This causes an imbalance in the flow of blood from the heart to the rest of the body.

Treatment of heart valves depends on the condition of the affected valve and the type and severity of the disease. Sometimes heart valve disease requires surgical intervention to repair or replace the heart valve.

symptoms

Some people with valvular heart disease may not have symptoms for many years. When signs and symptoms do occur, they may include:

A whistling sound (heart murmur) when the doctor listens to the heartbeat with a stethoscope
chest pain
Flatulence (more common in advanced tricuspid valve regurgitation)
Exhaustion
Shortness of breath, especially when doing activity or lying down
Swelling of the ankles and feet
vertigo
fainting
irregular heartbeat

the reasons

The four heart valves, which are responsible for keeping blood flowing in the right direction, are the mitral valve, the tricuspid valve, the pulmonary valve, and the aortic valve. Each valve consists of flaps (leaflets) that open and close once with each heartbeat. If one or more of these valves cannot open or close properly, blood flow through the heart to the body is disrupted.

Heart valve disease may be present at birth (birth defect). It can also affect adults as a result of many causes and conditions, such as infections and other heart conditions.

Heart valve problems include:

regurgitation. valve flaps not closing properly; This causes blood to leak backward into the heart. This is usually caused by the valve flaps protruding backward, a condition known as prolapse.
stenosis The valve flaps become thicker or stiffer and may fuse together. This narrows the valve opening and reduces blood flow through the valve.
darn. The valve does not form, and a layer of hard tissue appears that blocks blood flow between the chambers of the heart.

risk factors

Several factors can increase the risk of heart valve disease, including:

old age
History of certain infections that can affect the heart
History of certain types of heart disease or heart attacks
High blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and other heart disease risk factors
Heart conditions present at birth (congenital heart disease)
complications
Heart valve disease can cause many complications, including the following:

heart failure
brain attack
blood clots
Arrhythmia
Death