Valve Disease
What Are Heart Valves?
Your heart is the pump
that keeps you going. As the heart pumps, it sends
blood with oxygen and nutrients throughout your
body. As this blood returns, it picks up carbon
dioxide. The carbon dioxide is carried back to
your heart and then pumped to your lungs where you
exhale these carbon dioxide waste products.
Your heart has four
sections called chambers. Between each chamber is
a valve that acts like a control gate to keep
blood flowing through your heart in the right
direction. These four valves are made of thin, but
very strong, flaps of tissue that open and close
as the heart pumps.
Heart valves function
like one-way gates, allowing the blood to move in
only one direction. A normal heart valve is
flexible enough to open and permit blood to flow
through it, yet strong enough to hold back the
flow when it is closed.
What Can Go Wrong With Heart Valves?
Heart valves may not
always work as well as they should because of
problems caused by disease, aging, or a birth
defect. Problems can include:
-
Valves that do not
open properly, caused by a narrowing (stenosis),
or
-
Weak valves that do
not close properly, which result in the blood
flowing back from where it just came
(regurgitation).
Diseases of the heart
valves are classified according to the specific
valve involved and the type of valve defect. The
most common abnormalities are: mitral stenosis,
mitral regurgitation, aortic stenosis, and aortic
regurgitation. (See the heart
diagram.)
Any problem with a
valve makes your heart work harder. To make up for
this extra workload your heart may get larger.
When the heart can no longer pump adequately,
heart failure may occur.
Diagnosis
Patients with valvular
disease can develop a variety of symptoms, such as
progressive shortness of breath, irregular
heartbeats (palpitations), chest pain, or fainting
spells. By using physical examination and
diagnostic tests such as an echocardiogram
and/or
catheterization,
your physician can confirm the diagnosis of valvular disease and assess the severity of your
condition.
How Is Valve Disease Managed?
Patients with minimal
symptoms often remain stable for years. In these
patients, medical treatment can reduce the
symptoms and slow down the progression of the
disease. Medical treatment includes adjusting
activity depending on the severity of symptoms.
Salt and water retention can be controlled with a
low-salt diet and a water pill (diuretic). By
using a combination of medications, your heart may
pump more effectively. A blood clot may form
on the valve, requiring anticoagulation.
Some patients may also develop an enlarged heart,
heart failure, infections or an irregular
heartbeat.
Over time, your valve
disease will worsen, so it is important that you
see your family physician regularly. In the future
you may need surgical
repair or replacement of your heart valve.
When your symptoms
become worse, notify your physician immediately.
When symptoms become more severe, deterioration
may progress rapidly, and eventually lead to
irreversible damage to the heart muscle and other
vital organs.
This information has been designed as a comprehensive and quick reference
guide written by our health care reviewers. The health information written
by our authors is intended to be a supplement to the care provided by your
physician. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for
professional medical advice.
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