Preparing for the holidays? A recent echocardiogram showed that I have mild leakage from my mitral and tricuspid valves. I feel fine, but should I limit my activity in any way based on this finding? Will I need any follow-up testing going forward? I just turned Rest assured that a little bit of leakage from both of those heart valves is normal.
It's a common finding on echocardiograms because the equipment is so sensitive it can detect very small amounts of "leakiness," or what doctors call regurgitation. To continue reading this article, you must log in. Already a member? Login ». Mild mitral regurgitation affects up to 20 percent of healthy people and has no clinical consequence. Nearly 10 percent of people age 75 or older have moderate to severe mitral regurgitation, which is of clinical concern.
Signs of valve regurgitation are similar to congestive heart failure. Regurgitation in the heart can be related to your age, a birth defect or heart disease. There are several ways to detect mitral valve regurgitation. Common forms of diagnosis include echocardiogram, cardiac MRI and certain types of stress tests.
The treatment goal is to minimize symptoms and avoid the conditions getting worse. Medication will likely be prescribed to help manage your symptoms. Open-heart surgery to repair or replace the mitral valve is the most common method to fix mitral regurgitation.
Some leaky valves cause few or no complications and are never really noticed, while others can be very serious and require treatment. The treatment depends on which valve or valves are leaking and how serious the leak is. Any one of the four valves in the heart can leak or a combination of valves can leak. One of the valves typically has three flaps, and some people are born with only two flaps, which results in a leaking valve. Trauma can cause valves to leak, as can infection of the heart valve or damage from rheumatic fever.
High blood pressure, pulmonary hypertension, and an enlarged heart can also cause leaking valves. Some heart surgeries to correct heart defects in children may result in leaking valves later in life. Common risk factors for leaky valves are older age, family history, history of heart infections, high cholesterol , high blood pressure , obesity, diabetes, smoking , and lack of physical exercise.
Some medications can also put you at risk of developing a leaky valve. Not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, and daily exercise like walking are important steps to reduce overall risk. Personal Stories. Heart Valve Disease Resources. Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day. What's valve regurgitation? Regurgitation occurs when: Blood flows back through the valve as the leaflets are closing, or Blood leaks through the leaflets that don't close correctly.
For example: A leaking regurgitant mitral valve allows blood to flow in two directions during the contraction. Leaking valves can cause the heart to work harder to pump the same amount of blood. How does valve regurgitation develop?
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