Aortic valve regurgitation is a condition when the blood comes back from the aortic heart valve.
The aortic heart valve separates the left ventricle from the aorta, the main artery from the heart. When this valve is healthy, it does not allow blood to come back from the aorta to the left ventricle.
In aortic valve regurgitation, the valve leaflets do not close tightly, so some blood goes back to the left ventricle. As a consequence, the heart has to pump harder and faster so that the blood can circulate throughout the body, which can eventually lead to chronic heart failure.
Symptoms
Aortic valve regurgitation may not give symptoms in years if it is of a mild type. However, the symptoms are:
- fatigue
- shortness of breath during work
- chest pain
- rapid heartbeat
- swollen feet and ankles
Causes
The causes of aortic valve regurgitation can be:
- Congenital defects
- Infectious endocarditis
- Marfan syndrome (connective tissue disease)
- Hypertension
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Rheumatic fever, used to be the main cause of heart valve damage, but today it is rare
- Syphilis
- Chest trauma
Risk Factors
The risk factors for aortic valve regurgitation are:
- Congenital defects
- Hypertension
- Aortic valve damage
- Underlying medical condition
- Age
Complications
The complications of aortic valve regurgitation can be:
- infectious endocarditis
- Heart failure
Prevention
Preventive measures for heart valve disease have to be in line with leading a healthy lifestyle. During a regular check-up, the doctor may diagnose aortic valve regurgitation in its early stage. The earlier it is diagnosed, the easier treatment.
In case you already have a damaged or artificial valve, then the prevention will be focused on avoiding infections, especially infectious endocarditis (oral hygiene, avoid places where you can easily get infections), keeping normal blood pressure.
