Have you ever come across elderly people in your house suffering from heart issues? Well, nowadays, in most households, people respective of their age, are suffering from heart-related issues including aortic valve disease. Unfortunately, most people do not pay attention to even the slightest changes in their health until it takes a serious turn. However, by the time they take note of the issue, they have already embraced the damage.
If you want to lead a healthy life, make sure to take care of the health of your heart. After all, it is the heart that pumps the blood and helps in its circulation throughout your body. Of all the common issues of the heart, the one that bothers most people is aortic valve disease. People barely have any clear understanding of heart valve disease. As a result, they hardly pay attention to the symptoms and signs.
To help you in this regard, we have come up with a blog on aortic valve disease. In this blog, we will provide you with an overview of the disease along with its causes symptoms diagnosis, and treatment. So, before you reach out to the doctor, you can go through this blog to get a detailed idea about the disease. Therefore, without further delay, let’s get started with the details of the blog.
What is an aortic valve disease?
We all know that there are four valves in a human heart. These include the mitral valve, aortic valve, pulmonary valve, and tricuspid valve. The purpose of all these valves is to regulate, monitor, and control the direction in which the blood is flowing through the heart into the different parts of your body.
Aortic valve disease occurs when there is a problem in the aortic valve bulb it does not function as it is supposed to. The primary function of the aortic valve in the human body is to make the blood flow through the heart in the right direction. When there is damage or disease in this aortic valve, it adversely affects the flow of blood from the heart to the remaining parts of the body. This leads to aortic valve disease. At that time you need to visit a private cardiologist near you to seek treatment on time.
Aortic valve disease can be divided into two forms:
· Aortic valve stenosis
During aortic valve stenosis, the cusps present in the aorta become stiff and thick. In some cases, these flaps also merge. As a result, the openings of the valve become narrow and create a blockage for the seamless transfer of blood from the heart to the other body parts.
· Aortic valve regurgitation
When the aortic valve fails to close completely and lets the blood bound backward, it is a situation of aortic valve regurgitation. Share the blood flows backward from the upper chamber to the lower left chamber of the heart.
A person can have an aortic valve disease right from birth. One can also develop it later in life, especially due to the presence of a certain health condition. The kind of treatment you require for treating this disease depends on the severity and type of the disease. If it is a complicated case, the doctors sometimes recommend surgery.
Signs and symptoms of aortic valve disease
Interestingly, people with aortic valve disease may not notice any symptoms for a long time. This is because of its asymptomatic nature. However, some of the common signs and symptoms of aortic valve disease include the following:
- Dizziness
- Fainting
- Chest tightness and pain
- A swishing heart sound
- Extreme fatigue
- Unnecessary panting after light activity
- Irregularity in heartbeat
- Experiencing shortness of breath especially while doing physical activities
- Lack of proper food
- Deficiency in weight as per the BMI
Causes of aortic valve disease
Whenever there is a health issue, you need to find out its cause first. Eliminating the disease from the roots can lead to proper treatment and cure. Like every other disease, aortic valve disease also has some specific causes. These causes are:
- Infections
- High blood pressure
- Changes in the heart with change in age
- Heart injury
Risks involved in the aortic valve disease
You will find some risks connected with aortic valve disease. These risk factors include the following:
- Older age
- Rheumatic fever
- Congenital heart defects
- Endocarditis
- History of heart radiation therapy
- Other health issues
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How to diagnose aortic valve disease?
Now that you have got a clear idea about aortic valve disease, it is necessary to find out the ways by which you can diagnose the disease. The first and foremost form of diagnosis is a physical examination. First, the heart specialist will look for the signs and symptoms of aortic valve disease in you to understand if you suffer from the same.
The other and more accurate forms of diagnosis include the following:
· Echocardiogram
In simple terms, an echocardiogram occurs when the doctor conducts an ultrasound imaging of your heart. Here, the doctor uses sound waves of a specific frequency to capture the images of your heart. Through an echocardiogram, the doctor gets a closer look at the different parts of the heart, specifically the aorta and aortic valve.
· Electrocardiogram
This is a non-electrical and invasive test that uses an electrical unit to record the activities of your heart. Here, the doctor uses sensors with sticky patches on your chest. The monitor of the computer displays the results of the electrocardiogram.
· Chest x-ray
The purpose of a chest X-ray is to show the current situation of your lungs and heart. This can also help the doctor detect if you have a larger heart. Besides, if you have a calcium buildup in the aortic vein, the chest X-ray will showcase it.
· Cardiac MRI
Finally, a cardiac MRI makes use of both radio waves and magnetic fields to produce distinct images of your heart. Through a cardiac MRI, the doctor can get a detailed idea about the severity of the aortic disease. Besides, if you have any fluids present in your lungs, this MRI will successfully detect it.
Conclusion
Therefore, taking care of the internal mechanism of your heart can lead to a healthy lifestyle. If you suspect any abnormality in your heart, do not delay to book an appointment for a cardiac MRI scan in London. These professionals of London are highly trained and skilled to produce accurate results.
