Regurgitation of mitral valves is a type of heart valved-related disease wherein the valve present in the left chamber of your heart does not close completely. This, in turn, causes the blood to leak backwards across the valve. It is one of the most common heart-related issues, which can make you feel tired and short of breath.
Mitral Valve Regurgitation can be treated with regular monitoring and medications. In more severe cases, one might also require surgery. Without proper treatment, one might face heart rhythm problems and heart failure. But if you have a mild issue, you might not need treatment at all.
What Are The Symptoms?
Mitral Valve Regurgitation is often mild, and it progresses very slowly. Some people suffering from this heart disease face no symptoms for several years. But in other cases, the issues develop quickly and cause sudden signs, like fatigue. Other symptoms would include:
- Heart murmur or sound of blood flow across the valve
- If you have heart rhythm issues or arrhythmia
- You face shortness of breath, especially when you lie down
- You have palpitations or a fluttering heartbeat
- Sudden swelling of your feet or ankle
What Are The Causes?
To understand the causes of regurgitation, it is essential to understand how your heart works. Your heart has four valves, which help with blood flow throughout the chambers of the heart. The valves are the mitral, bicuspid, tricuspid, and aortic valves. Each of these valves comes with flaps known as cusps, which open and close during a heartbeat. If these do not operate properly, they can disrupt the process of blood flow.
The regurgitation takes place due to several causes, like:
- Mitral valve prolapse- This is a very common heart issue wherein the mitral cusp bulge back into the left atrium during the contraction process. It prevents the valve from getting closed tightly.
- Damaged tissue cords- Tissue cords act as an anchor between the leaflet and the heart muscles. Sometimes, it might get damaged due to stretch and tear, which leads to mitral valve leakage.
- Rheumatic fever- This complication is caused due to an infection that remained untreated from early life. It can damage your mitral valve, causing regurgitation later.
- Heart attack- It can directly affect the muscles surrounding the valve and disrupt its functioning.
Congenital heart problems- Sometimes, people are born with a defective heart valve. - Endocarditis- The valves might also get damaged due to infection present on the lining of your heart.
No matter what the cause of the regurgitation is, it should be treated on time so that it does not get complicated. If you have any heart-related issues, do not wait and consult a doctor. The more you delay the treatment, the more complex things will get for you.