What can cause damage to heart valves?

What can cause damage to heart valves?

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.

What are valve lesions?

Congenital heart valve disease is malformations of the heart valves, such as missing one of its leaflets. The most commonly affected valve with a congenital defect is a bicuspid aortic valve, which has only two leaflets rather than three. Other types of heart disease: Heart failure.

What disease affects the heart valves?

Factors that lead to heart valve disease Degenerative valve disease, such as mitral valve prolapse and mitral valve regurgitation. Calcification of the valves, which can lead to aortic or mitral valve stenosis.

What is the most common heart valve abnormality?

Mitral valve prolapse: The most common heart valve abnormality and the No. 1 cause for mitral regurgitation, this is when the mitral valve doesn’t open and close properly.

What causes calcification of heart valves?

Most valves become calcified by atherosclerosis, which is a process that causes blockages in the arteries of the heart as well as the rest of the body. An inflammation can occur on the heart valve that leads to a reaction in the blood stream which promotes calcification.

What the meaning of atherosclerosis?

Atherosclerosis thickening or hardening of the arteries. It is caused by a buildup of plaque in the inner lining of an artery. Plaque is made up of deposits of fatty substances, cholesterol, cellular waste products, calcium, and fibrin. As it builds up in the arteries, the artery walls become thickened and stiff.

What is the most serious heart condition?

Blockage in the coronary arteries is called coronary artery disease—a condition in which the heart muscles don’t get enough blood and oxygen. The most serious effect of coronary artery disease is sudden death without warning.

What is a symptom of valve disease?

The signs and symptoms of heart valve disease include: Abnormal sound when listening with stethoscope (heart murmur) Chest pain. Fainting, dizziness or light-headedness. Irregular heartbeat.

What are the symptoms of mitral valve disease?

Signs and symptoms of mitral valve disease may include:

• Abnormal heart sound (heart murmur) heard through a stethoscope.
• Fatigue.
• Shortness of breath, particularly when you have been very active or when you lie down.
• Irregular heartbeat.

Can an EKG detect valve problems?

This simple test measures the electrical activity of your heart using electrodes (wires) placed on the chest and other parts of your body. An EKG can detect an irregular heartbeat, signs of a previous heart attack, and whether your heart chambers are enlarged. These changes can be signs of heart valve problems.

What is stenotic disease?

The area through which blood moves out of the heart to the aorta is narrowed (stenosis). When the aortic valve opening is narrowed, your heart must work harder to pump enough blood into the aorta and to the rest of your body.

What causes a valvular lesion in the heart?

Valvular Lesions. Rheumatic Valvular Lesions. By far the greatest number of valvular lesions results from rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever is an autoim-mune disease in which the heart valves are likely to be damaged or destroyed. It is usually initiated by strep-tococcal toxin in the following manner.

What causes damage to the heart valve tissue?

The causes of heart valve damage vary depending on the type of disease present, and may include the following: Myxomatous degeneration (an inherited connective tissue disorder that weakens the heart valve tissue) The mitral and aortic valves are most often affected by heart valve disease. Some of the more common heart valve diseases include:

What are the different types of heart valve disease?

What is heart valve disease? Heart valve disorders can arise from 2 main types of problems: Regurgitation (or leakage of the valve). When the valve(s) do not close completely, it causes blood to flow backward through the valve. This reduces forward blood flow and can lead to volume overload in the heart. Stenosis (or narrowing of the valve).

What kind of heart disease causes missing leaflets?

Intravenous drug use can also lead to endocarditis and cause heart valve disease. Congenital heart valve disease is malformations of the heart valves, such as missing one of its leaflets. The most commonly affected valve with a congenital defect is a bicuspid aortic valve, which has only two leaflets rather than three.