Understanding About Heart Valve Disease

Heart valve or heart valve is a term that resembles a one-way gate or door that is at the heart, exactly in between the four chambers of the heart and blood vessels. Heart valve serves to maintain the flow of blood from the entire body inside and out of the heart of the heart working properly.

There are four heart valves are respectively located:

• Between the porch (atrium) with the right chambers (ventricles) the right, called the tricuspid valve.
• Between the left atrium to the left ventricle, called the mitral valve.
• Between the right ventricle with pulmonary arteries (vessels that carry blood to the lungs to get oxygen), called the pulmonary valve.
• Among the left chamber of the aorta (the vessels that carry blood containing oxygen from the heart to the body), called the aortic valve.

Valvular heart disease is a disease arising from any disorder or disturbance in one or more of the four heart valves at the top so hard the blood flow into the next room or blood vessels, or partially flow turned back to the previous area.

Causes of Heart Valve Disease
The heart valves work every time human heart beating. The mitral valve and tricuspid valves open with the blood that comes into the chambers of the heart, then both valves closed. Chambers of the heart then pumps the blood out through the pulmonary valve and the aorta which then closes after the blood out of both chambers. This recurring mechanism that can be disrupted when a heart valve does not work properly.

There are two main disorders of the heart valves that cause diseases such as heart failure, namely:

• Heart valve stenosis, this disorder occurs when the heart valve can not open properly due to a valve becomes stiff, thickened, or stuck together. This condition makes the blood can not flow into the next room or across the body which then trigger a variety of symptoms of heart disease in sufferers. This situation can occur in all four heart valves so that the disease is named after the name of the affected heart valve disorder, such as tricuspid valve stenosis.
• Heart valve insufficiency or regurgitation, commonly known as leaky heart valves, heart valve is a condition that can not be shut properly or does not return to its original position. This condition makes the blood flow back to the heart of the room earlier, resulting in reduced amount of blood that flowed through the body. This situation can also occur at the four heart valves as well as disorders of heart valve stenosis can lead to damage to the heart muscle.

Some of the causes of heart valve disease in a person sometimes can not be known and is sometimes the result of other diseases, such as syphilis, connective tissue disease, high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy, heart attack, coronary artery disease, tumors, radiation, certain drugs, and aortic aneurysm.

Other causes include abnormalities of the heart valves is a congenital disease, which is a congenital heart valve disease. In this condition, the valve may have the shape and size of the valve leaflets are not normal, or not stick properly. In bicuspid aortic valve disease, heart valve leaf number consists of only two valves instead of three. These conditions resulted in the valve can not open or close properly.

In addition, heart valve disease can be caused by:

• rheumatic fever, is a bacterial infection of the heart valves that cause inflammation and generally affects children.
• endocarditis. This condition can cause a hole in the heart valves and scarring caused by bacteria. Endocarditis caused by the entry of bacteria into the bloodstream, usually entering through operating procedures, inspection procedures of teeth, severe infections, and drug abuse by injection method.

There is also a condition called mitral valve prolapse (MVP), which is one of the most common disorders of the heart valves, causing leaks in valves as well as a network that has become distant and loose. This condition is associated with a family history or associated with connective tissue disease. In this condition, the heart valves become easily slammed into the left atrium when the heart contracts. In most cases do not require special handling.

Symptoms of Heart Valve Disease
Heart valve is responsible for keeping the smooth flow of blood in the heart. Widening and increasingly narrow gap between the valve can increase the pressure on the heart to pump more powerful means. These conditions cause the symptoms to watch out for such as:

1. Difficulty taking a breath
2. Pressure on the chest, especially when you're busy
3. Dizzy
4. Fatigue
5. Irregular heartbeat or abnormal
6. Weight gain
7. Fainting
8. Edema (excessive swelling in the legs, abdominal area, or ankle as a result of blockage of the fluid)

Consult a doctor if you experience similar symptoms to diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Perceived symptoms may indicate the type of disturbance experienced by the heart or vice versa so it is important to do further investigation.

Diagnosis of Heart Valve Disease
Heart valve disease can be diagnosed based on the symptoms appear and after the patient underwent a physical test that is similar to the examination in patients with heart disease. Physical examination is done by listening to the murmur of the heart (heart sounds that sounded like rustling), blood flow through the heart valves and lungs to determine if there are abnormalities of the cause of the heart can not work properly. Irregular heart rhythm, the amount of fluid, and heart size can impact the state and function of the heart and heart valves.

Afterwards, echocardiography and coronary angiography or cardiac catheterization, can be done to examine the structure and function of the patient's heart. A test called transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is also possible to obtain a clearer picture of the heart valves.

Treatment of Heart Valve Disease
Several types of drugs that may be applied to patients with heart disease, including:

• Diuretic drugs, which is a class of drugs that works to relieve the symptoms of heart failure by removing excess fluid from the blood stream and tissues.
• Beta blockers, which is a type of drug that can help ease the work of the heart in a way to make it work or run slower.
• Anticoagulant, a drug that would slow down the process of blood clotting to prevent blood clots in heart valves.
• Anti-arrhythmic drugs, namely drugs that can control the rhythm of the heartbeat.
• Drugs angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, including the class of drugs to treat conditions vasodilator heart failure and high blood pressure.
• Vasodilators, namely the class of drugs that relieve the functioning of the heart and regulates blood flow from being turned back.

In some cases, patients can consume these drugs throughout their lives. Treatment of heart valve disease can also be reached through a surgical procedure as well as several other procedures.

The operation procedure can repair or replace heart valves with traditional methods of heart valve surgery, blood vessels valvuloplasty procedures, and minimally invasive heart valve surgery. The process of treatment of different heart valve is intended to protect from further damage, relieve symptoms, and repair or replace the valve may not function properly. Know your medications and always bring related information together with your illness.

Prevention of Heart Valve Disease
Because heart valve disease can be caused by rheumatic fever, be aware of the symptoms that may arise, such as infection of strep throat. These infections can cause fever, sore throat, and the presence of white patches on the tonsils. See your doctor if you experience these symptoms to get immediate treatment in order to prevent the emergence of heart valve disease.

Start adopting a healthy lifestyle such as exercise and diet foods that are good for heart health. Treatment that works to prevent heart attacks, hypertension, lowering cholesterol levels, and heart failure may help reduce the risk of heart valve disease.

For patients with heart valve disease have a risk of infective endocarditis otherwise maintaining healthy teeth and gums. The bacteria that cause the infection can get into the blood through the examination procedure problematic tooth. Thus patients with valvular heart disease are advised to conduct regular medical visits to the dentist in addition to visits to doctors who deal with this disease. Consult with your doctor about the condition suffered prior heart valve disease patients through the treatment of other diseases in order to get appropriate treatment. Ensure that patients taking drugs that are prescribed and also note other drugs that must be taken with this treatment.

In addition to healthy teeth and gums, patients with heart valve disease who are being or have been through treatment can inform people in the vicinity about the disease. See a doctor if you feel or have symptoms of heart valve disease, such as fever, pain in the whole body, and strep throat.

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