Dr Lo Monaco
Heart valve disease refers to various disorders that cause one or more of the heart's valves to fail to function properly, preventing normal circulation. Heart valve disease, if left untreated, can have a negative impact on one's quality of life and can be fatal.
The heart is divided into four chambers. The left and right atriums are the upper chambers, while the left and right ventricles are the lower chambers. There are valves at the exit of each chamber that dictate the continuous flow of blood from one part of the body to the other.
A human has four valves: the aortic valve, the mitral valve, the tricuspid valve and the pulmonary valve. These valves can sometimes become narrower or can develop regurgitation or leakage. When this happens, or when the valves in your heart don't work properly from one of many conditions, it’s referred to by doctors as heart valve disease. In order to properly diagnose heart valve disease, your doctor may have you do a private transthoracic test or, if the findings need a further and more accurate assessment, a Transoesophageal Echocardiogram Test.
Rheumatic fever, congenital abnormalities, degeneration over time, and infection are all common causes of heart valve disease. Valvular stenosis or valvular insufficiency are also common causes. If you have valve disease, your doctor will hear a murmur on auscultation, and you will experience shortness of breath or develop signs of fluid overload. Therefore, the Echocardiogram Test is critical to assess all the heart valves.
While one of the symptoms of heart valve disease is an increased heartbeat, as the heart naturally has to beat faster to accommodate for failing components, other symptoms may include:
- Chest pressure or tightness
- Shortness of breath
- Weakness, dizziness, or fatigue
- Swelling of the ankles, feet, or other parts of the body where the heart is failing to pump blood properly
Your private cardiologist may detect fluid build pin the lungs upon auscultation or a heart murmur through a normal stethoscope. After these findings, your doctor may order a Private Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TOE) to better look at the heart’s structures and components. This is more accurate though more invasive than a normal Echocardiogram Test, as it involves using a scope placed beside your heart through your Esophagus.
The severity of your valvular heart disease determines your treatment options. If the problem with your heart valve is small, you may not require any therapy at all. Regular check-ups and follow up Echocardiograms will be performed to see if your condition worsens. Sometimes, your doctor may prescribe you medicine or similar treatments. In other cases, if the condition is more severe, you might need a more invasive treatment, including valve replacement or repair.
Heart valves can be repaired or replaced surgically in many situations, restoring normal function and allowing a return to normal activities. Patching holes or tears in heart valves, reshaping the valve, or splitting valve leaflets to enable it to open and close properly are all options for repair. A defective heart valve is removed and replaced with a mechanical or biological valve if it cannot be repaired.
In order to properly diagnose heart valve disease or even to monitor post-surgery, your doctor may have you do a private transthoracic and, if needed, a Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TOE) Test.