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The valves are like the doors that facilitate blood flow in and out of the heart in one direction. They ensure that the right type of blood is at the right part of the heart for adequate and sufficient pumping to take place. And in this process, they make sure that the pure and impure blood doesn’t mix with each other and follow separate paths.
Leaky valves are like leaky doors which stop the heart from performing both the above functions accurately. This, as a result, makes the heart less efficient, to say the least. The leaky valve reduces the amount of blood to the rest of the body and also the lungs. This manifests in the form of many symptoms:
- Shortness of breath and weakness
- Discomfort in the chest
- Dizziness
- Palpitations in the heart
- Swelling in the abdomen, feet and ankles.
- Fainting and light-headedness
“The above symptoms are only the signs of heart valve problems which most people may ignore. Leaky valves can continuously put a strain on the heart and as a result, a heart has to work extra hard to make circulation possible. In the long run, this continuous strain tends to damage the heart muscle leading to heart valve replacement surgery or even heart transplant”, says the top heart transplant surgeon in Hyderabad Dr Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale.
So what cause leaky heart valves and what is the treatment for leaky heart valve? We asked Dr Gokhale the same questions and here is what he got to say:
Causes of leaky heart valves:
In the majority of cases, the leaky valve can develop slowly over the decades which makes them difficult to catch without adequately noticing the symptoms. In other cases, they may show up suddenly without symptoms being the only warning signs. In either of the cases there are certain risk factors that are closely associated with leaky heart valves, which are as follows:
- Physical trauma that can cause damage to the heart.
- Calcification of the valves which can narrow the valves.
- Infections to the heart lining.
- Mitral valve prolapse – a bulge of the mitral valve leaflets
- Untreated strep throat that develops into rheumatic fever.
- Enlarged heart which can damage the structure of the heart valves by stretching them
Leaky Heart Valve Treatment in Hyderabad:
One must know that there are four valves and each of these valves can malfunction resulting variety of leaky valve cases. “Leaky valve is a serious medical problem which when left untreated can cause heart failure, irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure in vessels of lungs”, says lung and heart transplant surgeon Dr Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale
In a few cases, the valves are only mildly leaky and they do not need active treatment but only careful monitoring form time to time. Mild to severe conditions will require heart valve replacement in the majority of cases. Of course, this also depends on the cause and severity of the symptoms.
Fortunately, all leaky valve problems are treatable with a variety of treatment options, minimally invasive procedures to repair or replace the heart valve are the most recommended among them. Heart valve repair is preferred instead of heart valve replacement in favourable conditions.
“Heart valve repair lowers the risk of infection, and retains the strength and function of the heart better than heart valve replacement. But repair may not be possible in all cases which is when heart valve replacement surgery in Hyderabad becomes an adequate choice”, says the best heart valve replacement surgeon in India Dr Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale.
That said, it is always recommended to keep a close eye on the symptoms to enable early treatment. In any heart condition, the faster the symptoms are detected, the easier the treatment tends to be. So if you are experiencing any one of the symptoms above we recommended you contact a heart specialist in Hyderabad as soon as possible.