Valvular Heart Disease Causes & Risk Factors

Conditions & Diseases: Cardiovascular System

Valvular Heart Disease

Causes & Risk Factors

Causes:

The causes of Valvular heart disease include:

I. Congenital Valve Disease:

Congenital valve disease often affects the aortic or pulmonary valve. The valves could be improperly sized, leaflets could be malformed or the leaflets may not be correctly attached to the annulus.
Bicuspid Aortic Valve disease: In this type, only two leaflets or cusps are developed instead of the normal three leaflets and can lead to a stiffening of the valve (unable to open or close properly).

II. Acquired Valve Disease:

Rheumatic Fever: Untreated bacterial infection causes rheumatic fever usually occurring in children that is detected about 20-40 years later, when the heart valves become inflamed with leaflets sticking together and becoming scarred, rigid, thick and short leading to mitral regurgitation.
Endocarditis: Entering of bacteria and microbes into the blood stream could lead to an attack on the heart valves causing growths and holes in the valves and scarring. The bacteria and microbes may enter blood during dental procedures, surgeries, Intra Venous (IV) drug use or severe infections. All the people with valvular disease except those suffering from mitral valve prolapse are at increased risk of developing endocarditis.
Mitral Valve Prolapse: In this condition, leaflets of mitral valve flop back into theleft atrium during the contraction of the heart due to abnormality of tissues of valves (13).

Other causes of valvular disease include coronary artery disease, heart attack, cardiomyopathy, syphilis, hypertension, aortic aneurysms, and connective tissue diseases. Less common causes of valvular heart disease include tumors, some drugs and radiation (14).

Risk Factors:

Risk factors for Valvular Heart Disease include:

1. Aging

2. Hypertension

3. High cholesterol levels

4. Smoking

5. Insulin resistance and diabetes

6. Overweight/obesity

7. Lack of physical activity

8. Family history of valve disease (15).

Article by Kona Vishnu, MS
Medical Writer,
OmniMedicalSearch.com