structural heart disease

structural heart disease

Martin Leon introduced the term structural heart disease in 1999. Structural heart disease is a condition that mostly affects the tissues or valves in the heart. It can be described as non-coronary cardiovascular disease. Most of the diseases these present at birth and referred to as congenital. However, a few of the structural heart defects can develop during the growth of an individual. Though the World Health Organization(WHO), a lot of research has been done on cardiovascular care and increased recognition of the disease. Examples of structural Heart diseases include Aortic valve stenosis, Marfan syndrome, Myocarditis, Heart Valve Disease, Cardiomyopathy, and mitral valve regulation. For our case study, we will be working with Heart valve disease.

Heart valve disease is a condition where the valves(one or more)in the heart get damaged or don’t work correctly hence causing a problem in the blood flow. The various types of heart valve disease include the following Valvular stenosis this type observed when a particular heart valve fails to open mostly due to fused and stiff leaflets fully. Now the narrowed opening will force the heart to pump blood through it. Heart failure is as a result of this condition.

The heart valve disease is known to be congenital and can also be acquired later on in a person’s life. Congenital valve disease is a valve disease that mostly affects the aortic or pulmonic valve. The valves may have malformed leaflets, or they are not attached correctly. Bicuspid aortic valve disease is another form of congenital heart valve disease that mostly affects the aortic valve. In this case, the bicuspid aortic valve has only two cusps instead of the standard three. The valve may be stiff or leaky due to the absence of the third cusps. Acquired valve disease deals with problems that arise with pipes that once functioned adequately. It entails changes in the structure caused by bacteria and infections. Rheumatic fever is an example of infections caused by bacteria. The infection was common before the discovery of antibiotics. Endocarditis arises when bacteria attack the heart valves, causing scarring and holes in the valves hence may lead to leaky valves. The bacteria causing endocarditis enters the host during surgery, IV drug use, or dental procedures. Studies show that people suffering from valve disease are at higher risk of contracting endocarditis.

There are several symptoms of heart valve disease. They include shortness of breath. One is having to struggle during breathing, though finding a comfortable position to sleep. Discomfort in your chest; The victims experience a lot of pressure or weight in their chest and when exposed out in cold air: weakness or dizziness. A person may feel general body weakness with arching joints. Passing out may be considered as a symptom. Swelling of ankles, feet, and abdomen.it is also known as edema.bloatness may arise in some cases. Palpitations. It usually feels like a rapid heart rhythm with an irregular heartbeat.

The heart valve diseases are diagnosed through carrying out a physical examination and having a chat on the symptoms. During the physical examination, the doctor needs to examine the sounds produced by the heart as the valves open and close. There is a swishing sound that is produced by blood flowing through a stenotic. After the physical exam, other diagnostic tests may be carried out. They include echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography, and angiogram.

The treatment of heart valve disease is based on the type and severity of the disease. The goals for treating the disease include prevention of further damage on your valves, repairing valves, and lessening symptoms. There are several ways of protecting your pipe from further damage. They involve getting in touch with your doctor when you experience symptoms of an infection—taking good care of your teeth and gums to prevent infections and informing your doctors and dentist of your heart valve disease.