Understanding Heart Valve Disease

Heart valve disease is a cardiovascular condition characterized by malfunctions of one or several heart valves. Such malfunctions contribute to more intensive pumping of blood into the heart in order to provide circulation of the required volume of blood in the body. The absence of adequate treatment of such diseases tends to worsen the quality of patient’s life and even endangers his or her life. Valvular disorders are divided into two groups: acquired and congenital heart diseases.

Every heart valve is a complex mechanism that, like wings of gates, opens and closes the flow of blood through the heart chambers as well as from the heart to the aorta and pulmonary artery. The valves allow the blood to flow in one direction only. Human heart consists of four chambers – two atria and two ventricles. The blood gets through the veins into the atria, then it flows from the atria into the ventricles and from the ventricles into the large arteries (aorta and pulmonary artery). Heart valves are the movable tissue between the atria and ventricles as well as between the ventricles and the arteries; they consist of separate elements called leaflets or cusps. When the heart valve doesn’t work properly, it disturbs the flow of blood leading to a reverse or hindered blood flow.

When heart valves are damaged by a disease, it triggers two main problems:

• Stenosis occurs when the valve becomes too stiff or thickens. Accumulations of calcium or other deposits on the valves can provoke stenosis. Such condition impedes blood flow through the heart and promotes various complications, for example, thickening of the heart.• Regurgitation (or valvular insufficiency) happens when the valve leaflets don’t close tightly. In this case the blood leaks backwards through the affected valve which disturbs the function of the heart so it cannot supply body tissues and organs with enough blood and oxygen. Depending on the affected valves this condition is divided into pulmonary regurgitation, tricuspid regurgitation, aortic regurgitation and mitral regurgitation.

Causes

Heart valve disease can be either congenital or acquired. The causes of congenital valvular disease are still unknown, it happens before the birth when the heart is forming and often involves aortic or pulmonary valves being formed improperly. They may be the wrong size, have malformed leaflets or their leaflets cannot close tightly.

Acquired valve disease develops in once normal valves. It’s characterized by the changes in the structure of valves due to:

• Heart attack that damages the heart muscle;
• Rheumatic fever;
• Valvular infections (endocarditis);
• Cardiomyopathy;
• Atherosclerosis;
• Advances heart failure;
• Age-related changes in the heart.

Symptoms

The onset of this condition is usually asymptomatic. However, with the course of time as heart valve disease progresses, patients tend to experience breathlessness, chest pain, arrhythmia, unusual weakness or fatigue, fainting, dizziness, swelling, heart palpitations and rapid weight gain.

Treatment

The type of treatment for this condition depends on the cause of the heart valve pathology and the severity of the disease. The main objectives of the treatment include improvement of the heart function, alleviation of symptoms and prevention of possible complications. The therapy approaches include:

• Observation. Early and mild stages of this condition don’t require any specific treatment. For some patients it’s enough just to be under regular medical supervision without any specific intervention . It’s also important to protect the affected valve from further damage and make certain heart-healthy lifestyle changes recommended by the doctor.• Medicinal treatment. There are no specific medications that could cure heart valve disease; however, medications are administered to alleviate certain symptoms. For example, diuretics are used to help with peripheral or pulmonary edemas.
• Surgery. Heart valves can be either repaired or replaced with biological or man-made valves.