Valvular Heart Disease
What is Valvular Heart Disease?
Valvular heart disease refers to a condition which happens
when any of the heart's four valves (mitral, aortic, tricuspid,
and pulmonic) fail to function well.
It is the heart valves' main function to keep blood flowing
in a steady rhythm through the heart. The valves act as gates
which open and close at precisely orchestrated times to maintain
the proper blood flow. When the gate fails to open or close
at the right time, the heart fails to pump the blood efficiently.
Most types of valvular heart disease involve the aortic or
mitral valve.
The Causes Of Valvular Heart Disease
Valvular heart disease could be congenital or acquired through
lifestyle.
A congenital condition refers to a condition that a baby
is born with. One common example is mitral valve prolapse.
In this condition, the mitral valve doesn't close properly,
which will allow a small amount of blood to leak back into
the left atrium. Mitral valve prolapse is rarely serious and
usually does not need any treatment.
An acquired condition refers to the one which is developed
later in life. The most common cause of acquired valvular
heart disease is rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever could be
resulted from an untreated strep infection and hence causes
damage to the connective tissues of the body which includes
the joints, skin, and heart valves.
It used to be a common condition among children, the incidence
of rheumatic fever has plummeted with the use of antibiotics
such as penicillin. Eventually, valvular heart disease as
a result of rheumatic fever is rarely seen anymore in developed
countries.
The Common Types Of Valvular Heart Disease
One common kind of valvular heart disease is valvular stenosis.
This happens when there is a blockage or narrowing in one
or more of the heart valves. During the days when rheumatic
fever was more common, doctors often found severe aortic stenosis
in their rheumatic fever patients. This condition was especially
problematic in pregnant women, because their hearts often
could not withstand the strain of labor and delivery. Doctors
treating women with aortic stenosis usually recommended that
they have the aortic valve surgically repaired before pregnancy.
Valvular regurgitation will happen when blood leaks in the
wrong direction because a valve fails to close properly. Some
cases of valvular regurgitation are very mild and do not need
special treatment where others may require medications or
surgery.
Atresia is an often severe condition which occurs in infants
when a valve has failed to develop properly and is closed
at birth. Atresia often requires surgical intervention.
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