What is Heart Valve Disease?

Generally speaking, heart valve disease is when the left side of one's heart fails. In a certain number of rarer cases, heart valve disease can infect the right side of the heart instead. A left sided heart failure can lead directly to a buildup of lung fluid (pulmonary edema.) while a right sided heart failure will cause fluid buildup in the legs, liver, and abdomen.

Heart valve disease has two common causes; narrow heart valves and leaking heart valves. Narrowed valves are often a birth defect; however, they can also be brought on by hardened arteries, the development of large calcium deposits, and rheumatic fever. A leaking valve is often caused by inflammation from infection, mitral valve prolapse (a common heart disease where the mitral valve protrudes backwards too much, allowing blood to leak backward) and enlargement of the heart or aorta.

Heart valve disease, in most cases, does not have overt, easily identifiable symptoms. Someone diagnosed a minor form of heart valve disease should seek antibiotic treatment when there is a danger of infection making its way into the blood stream. Even major HVD, despite the stress it puts on the heart, may not produce overt symptoms. Symptoms generally reveal themselves under physical strain; dizziness and fainting spells after or during any sort of exertion, a sudden shortness of breath, or chest pain could all be signs of heart valve disease.

If it's so hard to detect, how do doctors diagnose it?

Stethoscope examinations to the chest revealing abnormal heart sounds often alert doctors to the fact that something is out of place, however, the seriousness of the condition, as well as the exact nature of it, must be diagnosed by more complex measures. An ultrasound test can pinpoint many heart problems, including the various symptoms of heart valve disease. In more extreme cases, a patient might be examined with a cardiac catheter, where a camera is guided into the heart through the arteries. Doctors might also inject a special dye that is visible on x-ray in order to assess leaky valves.

If a patient is diagnosed with a serious heart valve disease, they can expect to undergo preventative antibiotic treatments, since leaking heart valves are more vulnerable to infection during any kind of surgery--including dental work. HVD symptoms themselves are treated with diuretics, which help the body shed excess salt and fluid.