Heart valve disease: Everything about it and top 3 problems of it

♦ OVERVIEW

Heart valve disease is a term used to describe a variety of disorders in which one or more of the heart’s valves fail to function properly, preventing appropriate blood flow. Heart valve disease, if left untreated, can hurt the quality of life and even be fatal. Heart valves can often be repaired or replaced surgically, restoring normal function and allowing normal activities to resume.

The Cleveland Clinic, as a worldwide referral institution, has a long history of treating heart valve problems and has a great reputation. This material will assist you in understanding heart valve disease and the treatment choices available to you.

♦ What is valve disease of the heart?

• Within your heart, there are four valves. The mitral, tricuspid, aortic, and pulmonic valves are the four. The valves ensure that blood flows through the heart in just one way.

Heart valve disease occurs when your heart’s valves do not work correctly. Common causes of valve disease include rheumatic fever, birth defects, degeneration over time, and infection. This can be caused by valvular stenosis or valvular insufficiency.

♦ Normal mitral valve

Is valve surgery right for you?

• Aortic Stenosis.
• Mitral.

The “chordae tendineae” are the strands that connect the leaflets to the ventricular muscles (papillary muscles).

The tissues that make up the valve leaflets stiffen in valvular stenosis, narrowing the valve opening and limiting the volume of blood that can pass through it. If the constriction is little, the heart’s general function may not be affected. However, the valve can constrict (stenotic) to the point where heart function is compromised and blood flow to the rest of the body is inadequate.

Valvular insufficiency (also known as regurgitation, incompetence, or “leaky valve”) occurs when the leaflets of the valve do not completely close, allowing blood to leak backward across the valve. Regurgitant flow is the term for this retrograde flow. To achieve this, the heart must work harder.

A constricted or “stenotic” valve forces the heart to work harder, putting pressure on the organ and reducing blood flow.

A regurgitant (incompetent, inadequate, or leaky) valve does not entirely close, allowing blood to flow backward. To keep blood flowing to the body, the heart must pump harder.

In some cases, one or more valves may have both stenosis and valvular insufficiency.

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One or more of your heart’s valves fails to function properly in heart valve disease.

->  Four valves in your heart keep blood flowing in the right way. One or more of the valves may not open or close properly in some situations. Blood flow from your heart to your body may be disturbed as a result of this.

->  Treatment for heart valve disease is determined by the afflicted heart valve, as well as the type and degree of the disease. Heart valve illness may necessitate surgery to repair or replace the valve.