Dealing with Aortic Valve Stenosis
Aortic valve stenosis is also referred simply as aortic stenosis. It is a disease wherein the aortic valve of the heart narrows. And it because of that condition, the valve cannot fully open and do its job of pumping blood. Now when that happens, the blood flowing from the heart into the aorta going to the rest of the body becomes blocked. This condition causes abnormal sound in the heart, which physicians can usually hear with their stethoscopes.
With the presence of aortic valve stenosis, the heart’s tendency is to exert more pressure, because it senses that the valve isn’t working properly. It does that so that the much-needed blood still travels throughout the body. But over time, the muscles of the heart becomes thicker and thick because of this extra work overload. And consequently, physical activities, such as rigorous exercises, make it even harder for the heart to function.
Symptoms of Aortic Valve Stenosis
Aortic valve stenosis has different symptoms. It can be mild or severe, depending upon the nature of the case. Patients will have chest pains that are clinically referred to as angina. This is characterized by a feeling of tightness in the chest. And as stated earlier, patients would eventually observe that their bodies could not perform any more physical exercises, as they would feel tired too easily. They would usually experience that their breath falls short after every exercise. And if they try to push their body too hard, the tendency is that they would faint from too much energy exertion.
Other signs and symptoms of aortic valve stenosis include heart palpitations and heart murmurs. Heart palpitation is the fluttering of the heartbeat while heart murmur is the abnormal sound of the heart. Patients can possibly feel just one or all of these symptoms. So on the first signs of this disease, it is best to consult with a physician.
Causes of Aortic Valve Stenosis
Usually, other diseases present in the body cause aortic valve stenosis. This condition can even be congenital. Meaning, newborn babies had acquired the disease either while still inside their mother’s womb or right after their birth. In most of the congenital cases, babies are born with only two leaflets or flaps on the aortic valve, when there should be three. But this deformity does not always become a problem until the baby gets old. As they reach adulthood though, the aortic valve is expected to start narrowing and will soon be leaking if not treated right away.
Calcium build up is also a problem, especially if the calcium has accumulated in the valve. As one grows old, the heart valves would eventually accrue calcium deposits. Calcium is found on the blood. And because calcium passes through the valves as it flows, some of it can be stuck in the leaflets of the valve. This is a natural occurrence associated with the length of the time the heart valve performs.
Certain conditions, like rheumatic fever could also cause aortic valve stenosis. This disease is once very common in children. It causes a scar tissue formation on the aortic valve. And this scar tissue creates rough surfaces on the valves wherein calcium deposits can be trapped as blood flows through.
Diagnosis of Aortic Valve Stenosis
To diagnose aortic valve stenosis, a lot of medical procedures can be performed. One has to undergo electrocardiogram. Also known as EKG, it is a device that records the heart’s activity. It can see if the heart has thickened due to a disease.
Chest x-ray is also used. X-rays will show a shadow of the heart. If the valve is enlarged the shadow will show it. And with careful inspection, regions of the lungs are also seen, showing if it is dilated.
Aortic valve stenosis can be treated with the use of certain drugs. The doctors who had examined the patient will determine what group of drugs is necessary, including the suppression of the symptoms that comes with the disease. But when all of these fail, surgery may be required.
