Heart Valves Disease
What are heart valves?
The heart consists of four chambers, two atria (upper chambers) and two ventricles (lower chambers). In each of the cavities there is a valve through which blood passes before leaving the cavity. The valves prevent the backward flow of blood. The valves are flaps that are located in the output of each of the two ventricles (lower heart chambers). Act as entry gates on one side of the ventricle and one-way outlets on the other side of the ventricle. Normal valves have three flaps, except the mitral valve, which only has two. The four heart valves include the following:
- Tricuspid valve – located between the right atrium and right ventricle.
- The pulmonary valve – located between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery.
- Mitral valve – located between the left atrium and left ventricle.
- The aortic valve – located between the left ventricle and the aorta.
What are heart valve diseases?
Are alterations in the valve structure of different origin, that cause a malfunction and, therefore, an abnormal heart function as a pump. May be due to valve narrowing (stenosis) and / or inadequate closure, resulting in regurgitation (insufficiency). In young people most frequently affected valve is the mitral valve, while in older people it is the aorta.
What is the cause of valve disease?
Before they began to use antibiotics, rheumatic fever was the main cause of valve disease. Today, it is more likely that valvular disease is linked to one of the following factors:
- A weakening of the valve tissue caused by energy changes in the body. This is called “myxomatous degeneration”. It occurs more frequently in the elderly and usually affects the mitral valve.
- A buildup of calcium in aortic or mitral valves, which causes thickening of the valves. This is called ‘calcific degeneration. ”
- An aortic valve irregularly shaped or narrowed mitral valve. These are typically defects, meaning that most people with these problems were born with them.
- The use of drugs Redux and fen-phen for the treatment of obesity that have been recalled after being linked to heart valve disease.
- An infection of the lining of the walls and heart valves (endocardium). This is called infective endocarditis.
- A coronary artery disease.
- A heart attack.