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).
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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
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