Aortic valve stenosis, also known as aortic stenosis, occurs when a stenosis occurs in the aortic valve located between the heart and the aorta. Because of this stenosis, the valve cannot open and close properly, and this may lead to more serious heart problems unless treated. It is a condition that can have serious and devastating consequences; However, with early diagnosis and treatment, the problem can often be brought under control. You can read the rest of the article to learn more about aortic valve stenosis, which can occur due to more than one reason.
What is Aortic Valve Stenosis?
It helps to control blood circulation in the body and helps to control blood circulation in the heart. There are four valves that provide the flow. Sometimes, these valves can be damaged for different reasons. Aortic stenosis, which is a type of heart disease, occurs with narrowing of the valve located between the left ventricle, which is the lower left chamber of the heart, and the aorta, the main artery of the body. Due to this narrowing, the flow of blood cannot be fully ensured and the heart has to work harder to pump the amount of blood the body needs into the body. In some cases, the stenosis can be more serious and the flow of blood to the body is blocked. In this case, more serious life-threatening problems occur. Since there is no blood flow to the body, the oxygen level of tissues and organs drops and vital functions are compromised. This situation, which can manifest itself with symptoms such as pain in the chest or shortness of breath, requires urgent intervention. Aortic valve stenosis, which is one of the most common and serious valve diseases, can be congenital or may develop later.
Causes of Aortic Valve Stenosis
Aortic valve stenosis, which is one of the common and serious valve disease problems, is frequently occurs secondary to an underlying disease. Some genetic factors and health conditions may cause deterioration of the aortic valve function and may pave the way for the development of stenosis. Some of these factors can be listed as follows:
- Genetics: Aortic valve stenosis may be congenital (congenital). A normal aortic valve consists of three leaflets that fit together. However, sometimes the wings of a newborn baby's aortic valve contain two or four leaflets. may occur. In addition, sometimes these flaps can be too thick to open and close completely. In such cases, although the heart may work smoothly at first, various complications will occur over time. Such congenital heart defects are treated by surgical repair or replacement of the heart valve. Particularly affected organs; brain, heart, joints and skin. Caused by a bacterium called Strep A, rheumatic fever is an infectious disease and can affect the aortic valve and predispose to stenosis. Aortic valve stenosis due to aging occurs due to calcification and scarring of the aortic valve over time. The cause of this calcification is the accumulation of excess calcium in the aortic valves. Calcium deposits may adversely affect the aortic valves in general and may prevent the valves from opening and closing properly.
Symptoms of Aortic Valve Stenosis
may not produce any signs or symptoms. As the disease progresses, various symptoms begin to appear in the body. Symptoms experienced when aortic valve stenosis progresses can be serious. Some of the symptoms that can be seen due to aortic valve stenosis can be listed as follows:
- Because the heart will have difficulty in pumping the blood it needs to the body due to the deteriorated heart valve, chest pain
- Fast fatigue while exercising or exerting effort
- Dyspnea, especially after exertion
- Heart palpitations or abnormal heartbeats
- An abnormal murmur of aortic stenosis when the heart is beating. A murmur is an extra sound between normal heartbeats.
- Dizziness
- Fainting
- Extreme fatigue and feeling of exhaustion
Aortic Stenosis in Infants and Children
Since aortic stenosis is a congenital heart defect, it can be seen in newborn babies. Aortic stenosis in infants t It may be on its own or in combination with other heart problems. Aortic stenosis in infants and children may have different symptoms or no symptoms compared to adults. Symptoms that can be seen in infants and children can be listed as follows:
- Problems with nutrition and weight gain
- Getting tired easily
- Chest pain
- Dizziness
- Fainting
- Shortness of breath
Treatment of Aortic Valve Stenosis
Although the symptoms of aortic valve stenosis are not noticed at first, they may manifest themselves in the later stages of the disease. To effectively treat aortic valve stenosis, the level and severity of the disease must first be diagnosed. A cardiologist who is an expert in his field can examine the situation in detail with a comprehensive physical examination and various tests. It collects information for diagnosis by learning the patient's medical history and whether there is heart disease in his family. If the doctor detects any problems with the heart, they may want to do more tests for a more thorough and detailed examination. The following methods can be used to diagnose aortic valve stenosis:
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): There are large magnets inside this device, which uses magnetic fields and radio waves to examine the heart and its vessels in detail. Thanks to these large magnets, a detailed image of the body is obtained.
- Computerized Tomography Device (CT): This device, which combines pictures taken from different angles of the body into a single image, works by using x-rays. It can help to examine the heart and the vessels in the heart in detail.
- Chest X-ray: Detailed images of the chest area are obtained using X-rays. In this way, possible changes in the heart and heart vessels can be noticed.
- Medicines: There is no drug that definitively treats aortic valve stenosis. Because once aortic valve stenosis occurs, it cannot be reversed with these drugs. However, the symptoms caused by aortic valve stenosis can be controlled with the help of medications. In particular, the doctor may prescribe medication to reduce the load on the heart.
- Surgery: Since severe aortic stenosis negatively affects the patient's quality of life, the doctor may recommend surgery to the patient. This procedure involves repairing or replacing the damaged aortic valve. Aortic stenosis surgery can be performed with minimal surgery or an open surgical procedure. Minimal surgery often takes less time and results in less blood loss than open heart surgery. In addition, the recovery time is shorter compared to open heart surgery. Usually, minimal surgery is used in valve repair. However, in some cases, the cover may need to be replaced. In such cases, open heart surgery may be required.
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