Facts of Heart Valve Disease

Any time when the heart valves start malfunctioning, the condition is called as heart valve disease. The sound of the blood flow in the heart, called a heart murmur, though completely normal, might be indicative of the heart valve disease. Usually heart disease is either plutonic or aortic. Wrong size, malformed leaflets or leaflets which are not attached to the annulus correctly are few conditions leading to the heart valve disease.

Other problems, which might happen to the valves of the heart, are the chordae tendinea or papillary muscles might get stretched and tear, the annulus of the valve might dilate or the valve leaflets might become fibrotic or calcified. In case of bicuspid valve disease, which is congenital in nature, aortic valve is affected. The bicuspid aortic here has only two leaflets instead of the normal three

. This might make it leaky or stiff making it difficult for the blood to flow smoothly. In case of acquired valve disease, it is when the once healthy valves start malfunctioning due to an outside factor or disease, like rheumatic fever. In the case of rheumatic fever, the heart valves become inflamed, leading to mitral regurgitation in future.

The heart is divided into four chambers. Each chamber has a valve associated with it, which allows the passage of the blood while preventing from flooding the chamber back by allowing only a one-way flow. It thus, facilitates movement of blood in the heart. The four valves are -- tricuspid valve, which allows the blood flow from right atrium to right ventricle; pulmonary valve, which allows blood to move from right ventricle to the pulmonary artery; mitral valve, allowing blood flow from left atrium to left ventricle; and aortic valve which facilitates movement of blood from left ventricle to the aorta.

Causes of Heart Valve Disease

The valve disease can be acquired since birth or may be acquired later in life. The reason of the valve disease might be unknown in some cases. The cause for rheumatic fever is an untreated bacterial infection like strep throat. Endocarditis is a situation when microorganisms like bacteria, enter the bloodstream and start affecting the valves, leading to holes and unwanted growths in valves, resulting in leaky valves

. These bacteria, causing endocarditis, might enter the bloodstream via dental procedures, surgery, IV drug use, or with severe infections. Valve disease increases the risk of becoming life-threatening. Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP) causes the leaflets of the mitral valve to push back into the left atrium during the contraction.

This also leads in causing the abnormality and stretchiness of the tissue of the valve, making them leaky. Few other common causes of the valve disease are: coronary artery disease, heart attack, cardiomyopathy, syphilis, hypertension, aortic aneurysms, connective tissue diseases, tumors, some types of drugs and radiation.

Effects of Heart Valve Diseas

Any malfunction in the function of the heart valves might lead to several more problems, especially affecting the blood flow. Two main problems which usually and most commonly arise are: firstly, that the valves’ open and closing mechanism gets affected and might cause in the blood regurgitating back in the wrong direction.

Secondly, the blood flow might get hindered when the valves do not open properly. In mild cases, the effect is usually ignorable. However, in more severe cases, this may put excessive strain on heart, swelling it and hampering the efficiency of the heart as a pump to facilitate blood flow. This might lead to further complications like pulmonary or peripheral oedema.

Symptoms of Heart Valve Disease

Few symptoms of the valve disease are shortness of breath, weakness or dizziness, discomfort in chest, palpitations, swelling of ankles, feet or abdomen (oedema), swelling of belly, rapid weight gain. Despite these, the valve disease may not, at times, show any symptoms at all.

Treatment for Heart Valve Disease

In mild cases, people with valve disease may live completely normal lives, without taking any treatment at all. At times, though, medication and surgery are necessary. Ranging from minor procedures to opening a stenosed valve, the surgery varies according to the severity of the disease. Artificial valves can put in place. Diuretics can be used in order to get rid of the extra fluid from the tissues and bloodstream and also lessen the symptoms of heart failure.

Antiarrhythmic medications would help in controlling the rhythm of the heart. Antiarrhythmic medications Control the heart's rhythm, vasodilators, ACE inhibitors A, Beta blockers, anticoagulants ("blood thinners") are all used to help improve the heart’s condition and deal with the valve disease.