Heart Valve Care
In the United States, more than 5 million people are diagnosed with heart valve disease annually, and those numbers continue to rise. Heart valve disease is responsible for an estimated 25,000 deaths each year.
Heart valve disease occurs when one or more of the heart valves are not working correctly. This could be because of stenosis (the valve becomes stiff and tight) or insufficiency, also known as regurgitation (a leaking valve). We sometimes see these changes to the heart valves as we age, from exposure to environmental factors; exposure to some medical treatments (such as radiation or chemotherapy); stressors to the heart such as coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, heart rhythm changes, and so many more. These conditions increase the workload on your heart. Left untreated, these valve abnormalities can lead to heart failure, persistent abnormal heart rhythms, passing out, activity intolerance, overall decrease in quality of life and - even in late stages - sudden death.
More than half of the patients who have heart valve disease do not even recognize their symptoms until their heart valve has become severely compromised. Some people never even experience symptoms related to their valve disease.
What does heart valve disease look like?
Heart valve disease impacts everyone differently, and some of the most common symptoms are:
- Increased shortness of breath
- Sudden weight gain
- Increased swelling of the feet, ankles and abdomen
- Feeling extremely tired or weak, or unable to perform activities you were once able to do
- Chest pain or tightness
- Rapid or irregular heartbeats
- Feeling of dizziness, fainting or lightheadedness
- Not feeling like yourself
- Feeling breathless with activity or unable to lie flat because of feelings of breathlessness
Aortic Valve Stenosis
Aortic stenosis happens when the aortic valve has stiffened and tightened and now the valve cannot fully open or close. This could be due to a build-up of calcium deposits on the valve, a history of rheumatic fever, a birth defect, continued stress to the heart and, in some cases, radiation therapy. Because this causes a narrowing of the heart valve, blood flow from the heart is decreased causing blood to back up in the lungs. Once patients experience symptoms from aortic stenosis, 50% of those patients will not survive two years if left untreated.
Aortic stenosis affects close to 1.5 million people in the United States, and of that, some 250,000 patients suffer from severe symptoms. Patients often develop debilitating symptoms that can restrict their normal day-to-day activities. Activities such as walking a short distance or climbing stairs are now very difficult to carry out without having to stop and rest often.
Some patients with severe aortic stenosis remain symptom free, whereas others with only moderate stenosis develop symptoms. It is very hard to predict the rate of progression of the disease in a particular patient. For this reason, close clinical follow-up is a must for all patients with moderate to severe aortic stenosis.
Mitral Regurgitation
In a healthy normal functioning mitral valve, blood would flow in a single direction forward, the leaflets would close and they would prevent blood from going in the other direction. When the leaflets of the mitral valve cannot close properly, blood begins to flow backwards.
The two types of mitral regurgitation are primary (degenerative) and secondary (functional). Primary mitral regurgitation occurs when the leaflets are failing structurally, maybe due to advancing age, a birth defect or exposure to a virus or infection, mitral valve prolapse or a flail leaflet. Secondary mitral regurgitation occurs when the components of the leaflets are intact but they do not close properly due to damage from another condition. For instance, atrial fibrillation can cause the chambers of the heart to dilate (expand) and that pulls the leaflets away from each other, keeping them from closing properly.
Nearly 1 in 10 people age 75 and older have moderate to severe MR. For some patients, symptoms occur gradually over time, while others may notice a rapid decline. As the severity of mitral regurgitation progresses, not only does it significantly impact a person’s quality of life at home, but it can also lead to frequent hospital admissions.