The Way to Properly Detect Mitral Regurgitation

Mitral regurgitation is often times called as mitral insufficiency. It is a disorder wherein the mitral valve of the heart fails to close normally. It usually happens rather suddenly and a single incident it is enough to cause the blood to flow backwards into the left side of the heart. And when that happens, the whole body becomes affected. Other organs will not get the right amount of oxygen. And so in response, the heart will work harder just to compensate. More often than not, this condition is caused by the failure of the heart’s supporting structures.

Symptoms of Mitral Regurgitation
Patients with mitral regurgitation may experience rapid breathing or shortness of breath prior to the attack. And this condition may even increase when the person is lying flat on his back. Also, the heart tends to beat a lot faster and intense chest pains are felt. Coughs are also a good indicator that an episode of mitral regurgitation is developing.

Diagnosing Mitral Regurgitation
To detect this disease, a simple stethoscope test to the heart will disclose a certain murmur, more especially if palpitations are occurring. And this disease may affect the lungs as well. When a stethoscope is placed against the back to check the condition of the lungs, crackles are usually heard. This is because of the fluids that might have backed up into it.

And for a more accurate diagnosis, an echocardiogram and a color flow Doppler exam may both be conducted. But simpler tests like chest x-rays and an ECG may be requested first. However, if these tests prove to be futile, a chest MRI or a CT scan may be performed subsequently.

Treatment of Mitral Regurgitation
Just like most heart diseases, the symptoms are addressed first to eventually treat the disease. For the milder cases of mitral regurgitation, antibiotics are prescribed. Antibiotics have to be taken in regular doses especially if endocarditis or some bacterial infections are detected. Anti-arrhythmics, or more specifically the drugs that are given to regulate the rhythm of the heart, may also be required.

Vasodilators, or the drugs whose job is to dilate the blood passing though the blood vessels, and Digitalis, the ones used to strengthen a patient’s heartbeat, are both essential in the entire treatment process. There are still other drugs used, specifically diuretics and anticoagulants, whose job is to remove excess fluids and thin the blood respectively.

If a more severe case mitral regurgitation is detected, hospitalization is the best treatment for the patient. This is to fully diagnose the extent of the disease as well properly teach each and every symptom observed.

But if none of these methods are projected to work, there might be no other option but surgery. And if in case the patient’s blood pressure is hard to maintain, especially in an emergency situation, an intra-aortic balloon pump needs to be used just to make the blood flow into the aorta, instead of backward to the left atrium.

Mitral regurgitation can be a life-threatening disease. This would also mean that aside from the disease itself, complications could arise because of it. For one, patients with this disease are more likely to have heart failure. And aside from that, pulmonary edema, or the accumulation of fluid in the lungs is very likely to happen. Blood clotting leading to stroke is also possible.

With all these said, it is then very important that proper medical therapy is solicited from a specialized heart professional. Get in touch with them immediately the moment any of the symptoms appear. Doing so will reduce probability of developing the different risks that are associated with the disease.