Heart Valve Disease

A heart condition in which one or more valves do not work correctly is called heart valve disease. The heart contains four valves that work together to maintain blood flow through the heart in the right direction. If at least one of them does not open or close, it may change how blood flows through the heart and the whole body. The treatment commonly varies among people because it depends on which heart valve is affected and the severity of the disease. In some cases, a person with heart valve disease may need surgery to repair or replace the valve in the heart.

Symptoms

While some people may not experience symptoms for years others may experience any of the following. Examples include:

  • Irregular heartbeat
  • Swelling of the feet and ankles
  • Fainting
  • Dizziness
  • Chest pain
  • Fatigue (extreme tiredness)
  • Shortness of breath

Immediately contact your doctor if you experience one or more symptoms.

Causes

First, we need to know how the heart works before understanding heart valve disease. In the heart are 4 valves that keep blood flow in the correct direction. These include:

  • Aortic valve
  • Mitral valve
  • Pulmonary valve
  • Tricuspid valve

Each one contains flaps (also known as leaflets or cusps). These flaps open and close during the heartbeat. If at least one of them does not open or close properly, it may lead to reduced blood flow that leaves the heart and goes throughout the body.

Heart Valve Disease Types

  • Stenosis – People with this type experience thickening or stiffness of the valve flaps and in some cases, they can join together. As a result, the valve opening is narrowed, and blood flows in smaller amounts than usual through them.
  • Regurgitation – In such cases, the heart’s valves do not close completely provoking blood leak backward.
  • Prolapse – People with this heart valve disease type experience stretched and floppy heart valves. Thus, they work as a parachute and usually lead to regurgitation.
  • Atresia – In such cases, the valve is not formed and the pulmonary valve is often affected. It means that there is a solid sheet of tissue that prevents the blood flow between heart chambers.

There are people who are born with this heart disease (congenital heart valve disease). However, adults can experience this condition too and the most common causes are infections, age-related changes, and other heart diseases.

Risk Factors

The following things can elevate your risk of developing heart valve disease. For example:

  • Certain types of heart disease (including myocardial infarction)
  • Diabetes
  • Older people are more likely to get this condition
  • Infections (including blood infections, rheumatic fever, and others)
  • Hypertension (high blood pressure)
  • High cholesterol levels in the blood

Talk with your doctor for more details.

What Are The Possible Heart Valve Disease Complications?

If you ignore and do not treat this heart disease, you may experience some complications and some of them can be life-threatening or even fatal. Examples include:

  • Blood clots
  • Heart failure
  • Stroke
  • Abnormal heart rhythm
  • Death

Diagnosis

Your healthcare professional will ask you questions about symptoms and medical history. Thereafter, doctors can perform a physical examination and listen to your heart using a stethoscope. In case they are not sure you have this condition, you may need to do some additional tests. Check below some of them:

  • Echocardiogram – This test uses sound waves to make images of the heart while beating. As a result, your doctor can see how blood flows through the heart and its valves.
  • Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) – ECG helps to measure electric signals in the heart.
  • Chest X-ray – This test creates images of the lungs and heart. It shows the heart’s size and if there is fluid around the lungs. In some cases, heart valve disease may occur due to fluid.
  • Cardiac MRI – A test used to get detailed images of the heart.
  • Exercise tests (stress tests) – It is usually done to verify how your heart reacts to physical activity. In case you experience this heart disease, the symptoms will occur during exercise.
  • Cardiac catheterization – This test is usually used when other tests cannot diagnose heart valve disease. In some cases, cardiac catheterization can determine how severe heart valve disease is.

What Are the Stages of Heart Valve Disease?

After you have been diagnosed with heart valve disease, your doctor may tell you about the disease stage. According to the stage, a person experiences are prescribed the best treatments. In any case, the stage of heart valve disease depends on some factors including blood flow through the lungs and heart, the severity of the condition, valve structure, symptoms, and others. Check below heart valve disease stages:

  • Stage A – People’s heart valve risk factors are present.
  • Stage B – This is the second stage and the valve disease is mild or moderate usually without any symptoms.
  • Stage C – Severe valve disease but still without symptoms.
  • Stage D – Symptoms occur along with severe heart valve disease.

Treatment

Heart valve disease treatment usually includes regular checkups, lifestyle changes (including diet), medications, or surgery.

Medicines

Physicians can prescribe anticoagulants (blood thinners) to prevent blood clots that may occur in people with heart valve disease.

Surgery

Generally, a damaged or diseased heart valve may require surgery to be replaced or repaired. Your doctor may prescribe surgery even if you do not experience any symptoms. In some cases, people have heart valve disease and require surgery to treat other medical conditions. In such cases, the surgeon will perform surgery and repair or replacement of the heart valve at the same time.

There are two heart valve surgery methods used to treat this condition. These include open-heart surgery or minimally invasive heart surgery. The type of surgery your doctor prescribes depends on many factors including other existing health conditions, type and severity of heart valve disease, age, and others.

Heart Valve Repair

Commonly, doctors advise to repair your own heart valve instead of replacing it. Check below heart valve repair procedures:

  • Annuloplasty – This procedure involves tightening and reinforcement of the valve’s outer ring. Doctors may prescribe this treatment option along with others that also repair the heart’s valve.
  • Valvuloplasty – Mostly, this surgery is used in the mitral valve prolapse treatment. Surgeons will repair the valve’s flaps by inserting a flexible tube with a balloon into an artery of the groin area or arm.

Heart Valve Replacement

This procedure is recommended only when valve repair is not possible. Usually, mitral and aortic valves are replaced. The surgeon will remove the damaged heart valves and replace them with the following. For example:

  • Mechanical valve – It is an artificial heart valve produced from strong material (manufactured valve). People who get manufactured valves often need anticoagulants to prevent blood clots.
  • Biological valve – In such cases, the artificial valve is produced from cow, pig, or human heart tissue. Over time, these valves break down and need to be replaced.

Lifestyle Changes

The following tips can help you to improve your symptoms. Check below some examples:

  • Adopt a heart-healthy diet (including fresh fruits, vegetables, low-fat products, fish, whole grains, and others). Do not consume increased amounts of salt and sugar.
  • Regular exercise
  • Try to get and keep a healthy weight for you
  • Quit smoking or never begin
  • Practice good sleep habits
  • Manage blood pressure and cholesterol levels regularly
  • Get treatment for existing health conditions (such as diabetes)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common heart valve disease?

The most commonly diagnosed valve disease is mitral regurgitation (MR) followed by aortic stenosis (AS) and aortic regurgitation (AR).

Who is more prone to develop heart valve disease?

  • Bad habits (including smoking, misuse of alcohol or recreational drugs, and others)
  • Older people
  • Family history (usually, mitral valve prolapse and bicuspid aortic valve issues run in families)

Talk with a doctor for more details.

What are foods that help people with heart valve problems?

  • Fish
  • Lean meats
  • Whole grains
  • Foods rich in fibers
  • Fresh fruits
  • Vegetables

Additionally, you should limit sugar, sodium, and alcohol. In case you have additional questions, ask your healthcare professional.

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