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If your valve disease is moderate or severe with no symptoms, you should have a check-up and echocardiogram every 6 to 12 months. If you start having new or worsening symptoms, make an appointment with your doctor.
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The symptoms of heart valve disease vary, depending on which valve is a˜ ected and how badly it has been damaged. People with mild heart valve disease (see pages 22-23) might not notice any symptoms, or may have very few symptoms. But others can experience several common symptoms, caused by problems related to heart valve disease:
- My Doctor Says I Have A murmur. What Is this?
- Is Valve Disease Infectious?
- Is Valve Disease Hereditary?
- Is Valve Disease Dangerous?
- I Have Chronic Valve disease. Is This Bad?
- Is Valve Disease A Problem When I Have non-cardiac Surgery?
- How Long Will My Heart Valve Last?
- Can I Travel?
A murmur is simply the noise made by blood passing through the heart and is often normal. The pulmonary artery is relatively close to the skin and blood flow may be audible through a stethoscope particularly if you are slim. This is called a ‘benign systolic flow murmur’. About 20 in 100 of all adults aged 18 and over have a murmur. Only about 2 in...
Disease may sound like an infection but it is a term used for any significant change from normal. Valve disease means that the valve has developed abnormal thickening or become damaged. It is possible but rare for a leaking or thickened valve to become infected. This is called infective endocarditis. You cannot pass valve disease onto another perso...
Valve disease is common so relatives might have valve disease by coincidence. However, relatives of people with a bicuspid aortic valve have about a 1 in 10 chance of also having a bicuspid valve. It may be worth considering an echocardiogram to check for this. Some types of mitral prolapse may run in families but this is unusual.
Provided it is treated appropriately with surgery when this is indicated the results are excellent. Valve disease may be dangerous if unrecognised and if symptoms are allowed to progress without treatment. If you have unexplained breathlessness or chest pain or dizziness on exertion you should visit your usual doctor to see whether further tests ma...
‘Chronic’ as used medically simply means long-standing. It does not mean severe. The term for disease of recent onset is ‘acute’. These distinctions are useful medically because they have different causes. For example, acute severe aortic regurgitation is almost always caused by endocarditis; chronic moderate or severe regurgitation is more likely ...
This depends on what surgery you are having, what type of valve disease and whether you have symptoms from the valve disease. Every case is different. Low risk non-cardiac surgery (e.g. cataract extraction, cosmetic surgery) is safe whatever the valve disease. Aortic or mitral regurgitation is usually safe for any types of non-cardiac surgery provi...
This is a bit like the ‘how long is a piece of string’ question. Mechanical valves do not fail and are expected to outlive the youngest patient if no complication like infection develops. How long biological valves last depends on the design, the position, the age when you have it and, to a degree other factors like high blood pressure and diabetes...
Flying is not a problem with a normally functioning repaired or replaced valve. A good rule of thumb is that if your heart is capable of letting you climb up the stairs into the plane it will not be bothered by the depressurisation during the flight. A pacemaker but not the valve itself may set off alarms in the airport; you will need to inform the...
Heart Valve Disease Symptom Tracker. Print this document and check symptoms that apply to you, noting the frequency. Then bring it to your next appointment to review with your doctor. Track changes in symptoms and/or physical activity regularly. Pain, tightness or pressure in the chest.
If you’ve had a minimally invasive procedure, you should be able to do most of your normal activities after about 6 weeks, including working, driving and sex. If you’ve had open heart surgery it’ll take longer, usually up to 12 weeks. You can find information on what to expect in our booklet on heart surgery.
Heart valve disease symptoms depend on which valve is affected. You may not have any symptoms, or they may come on so gradually that you don’t really notice them. If your condition is severe, symptoms can come on quickly and may need urgent treatment.
People also ask
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Apr 28, 2023 · However, life expectancy estimates drop to about 2 years if severe aortic valve regurgitation isn’t treated and leads to congestive heart failure. According to a 2021 study, the average life...
