The medical community defines an incontinent heart valve as valve regurgitation. There are four valves in the heart, each of which can be incontinent. Sometimes, the valves with this insufficiency are minor and do not need treatment, other times the regurgitation puts a strain on the heart, making its task harder. Therefore, it is essential to be able to recognize the symptoms of an incontinent heart valve so that you can seek professional advice.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Recognizing the Symptoms of an Incontinent Heart Valve
Step 1. Recognize the symptoms of mitral valve prolapse
Symptoms of mitral valve prolapse include:
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath when active or lying down (orthopnea)
- Dizziness and fatigue
- Panic attacks and palpitations
Step 2. Understand the symptoms of mitral valve regurgitation
Signs and symptoms often occur, and when they do, they develop gradually. They may include:
- Fatigue, tiredness and lightheadedness
- Fast breathing and a feeling of heartbeat (palpitations) or a rapid heartbeat
- Shortness of breath that increases when active or lying down
- Excessive urination at night
- Cough
Step 3. Know the symptoms of mitral stenosis in adults
In adults, symptoms occur which, however, may appear or worsen with exercise or during any activity that increases heart rate. In adults, symptoms usually develop between the ages of 20 and 50.
- Atrial fibrillation (atrial flutter)
- Shortness of breath
- Fainting, dizziness or tiredness
- Chest pains (angina)
- Chest infections
- Cough with sputum that has blood stains
Step 4. Recognize the symptoms of mitral stenosis in children
In infants and children, symptoms may be present from birth (congenital) and almost always develop within the first 2 years of life. Symptoms include:
- Cough
- Poor nutrition or sweating while feeding
- Poor growth
- Shortness of breath
Step 5. Identify the symptoms of aortic regurgitation
Aortic insufficiency often does not show symptoms for many years. However, symptoms can come on slowly or suddenly. They include:
- Shocking wrist
- Chest pain, which includes a sense of tightening, pressure, or constriction.
- Pain that increases with exercise and lessens with rest
- Fainting
- Palpitations (sensation of feeling the heartbeat) and irregular, rapid, fast, pounding, or agitated pulse
- Shortness of breath when active or lying down
- Swelling in the feet, legs or abdomen
- Weakness and fatigue
Step 6. Know the symptoms of aortic stenosis
Most people with aortic stenosis do not develop symptoms until the disease is advanced. Symptoms of aortic stenosis include:
- Chest discomfort: Chest pain can get worse when active and reach your arm, neck, or jaw
- Cough, with possible presence of blood
- Breathing problems during physical activity
- You feel tired very easily
- Feeling of feeling your heart beat (palpitations)
- Fainting, weakness, dizziness when active
Step 7. Know the symptoms of aortic stenosis in children
In infants and children, symptoms include:
- Feeling tired easily when under exertion (in mild cases)
- Failure to gain weight
- Poor nutrition
- Severe breathing problems that develop within days or weeks of giving birth (in severe cases)
- Children who have mild or moderate aortic stenosis can get worse over time. They are also at risk for a heart infection called bacterial endocarditis.
Part 2 of 3: Undergo Diagnostic Tests
Step 1. Get your doctor to order an echocardiogram
This test uses sound waves to produce an image of the heart. In the echocardiogram, the sound waves are directed to the heart by a rod-like device (transducer) that is held on the chest.
- Sound waves bounce off the heart, are returned through the chest wall and electronically processed to give video images of the patient's moving heart.
- The echocardiogram helps the doctor to carefully examine the valves of the heart. The image shows the structure of the valves and how they move during the heartbeat.
Step 2. Get an electrocardiogram (ECG)
In this test, some discs with wires (electrodes) are placed on the skin to measure the electrical impulses emitted by the heart. The pulses are recorded as waves and displayed on a monitor or printed on paper.
- The ECG can give information on the heart rhythm and, indirectly, on the size of the heart. When suffering from mitral valve stenosis, parts of the heart may enlarge and the patient may be prone to atrial fibrillation, which is an irregular heart rhythm.
- During the ECG test, the doctor may ask the patient to walk on a treadmill or pedal an exercise bike to see how the heart responds to exertion.
Step 3. Undergo a dynamic ECG according to Holter
Dynamic Holter ECG is a portable device that the patient wears to record a continuous ECG, usually for 24 to 72 hours. Holter monitoring is used to detect intermittent heart rhythm irregularities that can occur when a valve is incontinent.
Step 4. Try a chest X-ray
Chest x-rays allow doctors to check the size and shape of the heart to determine if the ventricles and atria have dilated - a possible sign of heart valve failure.
The chest X-ray also helps the doctor check the condition of the lungs. An incontinent valve could drain blood into the lungs, causing congestion visible on an X-ray
Step 5. Get your doctor to order a transesophageal echocardiogram
This type of echocardiogram allows for an even more careful examination of the heart valves. The patient's esophagus (the cylindrical-shaped organ that connects the throat to the stomach) is located just behind the heart.
- In traditional echocardiography, the transducer is moved to the patient's chest. In transesophageal echocardiography, a small transducer attached to the end of a tube is introduced into the patient's esophagus.
- Since the esophagus is located close to the heart, the transducer provides a clearer picture of the heart's valves and the blood flowing through them.
Step 6. Try cardiac catheterization
With this procedure, the doctor inserts a thin tube (catheter) into the patient's arm into a blood vessel or groin, leading it to an artery of the heart.
- A dye is injected through the catheter which fills the arteries of the heart, which become visible by radiography. This test provides the doctor with detailed information about the condition of the heart.
- Some catheters used in cardiac catheterization have miniaturized devices (sensors) at the ends that can measure the pressure within the heart chambers, including the left atrium.
Part 3 of 3: Understanding the Causes and Disorders of Heart Valve Function
Step 1. Understand the causes of heart valve function disorders
It is possible that heart valve disorders develop before birth (congenital), occur over the years, or are the result of an infection. The acquired ones are the most common type. Sometimes the cause is unknown, but it concerns changes in the structure of the heart valves as a result of mineral deposits on the valve or surrounding tissue. The most common causes of heart valve function disorders include:
- Heart valve tissues can deteriorate with age.
- Rheumatic fever can cause valvular heart disease.
- Bacterial endocarditis, an infection of the inner lining of the heart muscle and heart valves (endocardium), can cause heart valve disease.
- High blood pressure and atherosclerosis can damage the aortic valve.
- A heart attack can damage the muscles that control the heart valves.
- Other diseases such as carcinoid tumors, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, or syphilis can damage one or more heart valves.
- Methysergide, an active ingredient used to treat migraines, and some weight loss drugs can promote heart valve disease.
- Radiation therapy (used to treat cancer) may be linked to the manifestation of heart valve diseases.
Step 2. Know the anatomy of the heart
The heart contains four distinct valves, each of which can develop incontinence. The names and functions of each of the heart's valves are as follows:
- Tricuspid Valve: The tricuspid valve forms the boundary between the right ventricle and the atrium. Deoxygenated blood enters the right side of the heart through the superior and inferior vena cava. Blood collects in the right atrium and flows through the tricuspid valve before entering the right ventricle. Then, it exits the heart through the pulmonary artery, which carries blood to the lungs for oxygenation.
- Pulmonary valve: The pulmonary valve is one of the two valves that allow blood to leave the heart through the arteries. It is a one-way valve. Blood cannot flow into the heart through it in reverse. It opens due to the increased blood pressure of the ventricular systole, pushing blood out of the heart and into the artery. It closes when the pressure drops inside the heart. The pulmonary valve is located in the right ventricle of the heart and enters the pulmonary artery.
- Mitral valve: The mitral valve is located in the heart between the left atrium and the left ventricle. It opens when the left atrium fills with blood, increasing the pressure. Blood flows into the left ventricle when the heart dilates (diastole). The mitral valve closes when the heart contracts (systole) and forces blood to enter the aorta.
- Aortic valve: The aortic valve is located between the aorta and the left ventricle of the heart. The pulmonary vein carries oxygenated blood to the left atrium of the heart. Then, it passes through the mitral valve and into the left ventricle. Thanks to the contractions of the heart, oxygenated blood exits the left ventricle through the aortic valve.
Step 3. Learn about the different types of heart valve function disorders
Each of the heart's four valves could be prone to failure, and each type of incontinence has its own name. The main types of heart valve function disorders are as follows:
- Mitral valve prolapse: Mitral valve prolapse is a heart problem in which the valve that separates the upper and lower chambers of the left side of the heart does not close properly.
- Mitral valve regurgitation: Mitral regurgitation is a condition in which the heart valve that separates the upper and lower chambers on the left side of the heart does not close properly. Regurgitation indicates that incontinence is due to a valve not closing completely. Mitral regurgitation is the most common heart valve function disorder.
- Mitral stenosis: The mitral valve separates the upper and lower chambers on the left side of the heart. Mitral stenosis is a disease in which the valve does not open completely, hindering blood circulation.
- Aortic regurgitation: Aortic regurgitation is a heart valve disorder in which the aortic valve does not close completely. This phenomenon leads to a backflow of blood from the aorta (the largest blood vessel) into the left ventricle (a chamber of the heart).
- Aortic stenosis: The aorta is the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. Blood flows from the heart and into the aorta through the aortic valve. In the case of aortic stenosis, the aortic valve does not open completely and this phenomenon reduces the circulation of blood from the heart.
