Symptoms and Treatment of Heart Valve Disease

Heart disease is a serious illness that often occurs in the elderly, and heart valve disease is one type of heart disease. Coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction in the elderly can easily lead to heart valve disease. It is important to understand the symptoms and characteristics of this disease and seek medical attention in a timely manner when similar symptoms are observed. Let's take a look at the symptoms and treatment options for heart valve disease.

Symptoms of Heart Valve Disease

Heart valve disease often develops slowly. In the early stages of the disease, there may be no clinical symptoms. However, when arrhythmias, heart failure, or thrombotic events occur, corresponding clinical symptoms may manifest. Patients often experience palpitations, shortness of breath, fatigue, and exhaustion after exertion. Their exercise tolerance is significantly reduced, and they may experience difficulty breathing (i.e., exertional dyspnea) with minimal exertion. In severe cases, patients may experience nocturnal paroxysmal dyspnea and even be unable to lie down comfortably. Heart valve disease can also occur acutely due to acute ischemic necrosis or acute infectious endocarditis, manifesting as symptoms of acute heart failure such as acute pulmonary edema. Some patients, especially those with mitral stenosis, may experience hemoptysis, ranging from blood-tinged sputum to large amounts of fresh blood. During acute left heart failure, patients may cough up large amounts of pink frothy sputum. Additionally, prolonged pulmonary congestion can lead to frequent bronchitis, especially during winter. Certain patients, particularly those with aortic stenosis, may experience dizziness, blackouts, or even syncope after exertion. They may also have discomfort in the precordial region or symptoms of angina pectoris. During physical examination, patients with heart valve disease may have enlarged hearts and characteristic heart murmurs indicative of valve stenosis or insufficiency, such as the rumbling diastolic murmur at the apex of the heart in mitral stenosis or the blowing systolic murmur at the apex of the heart in mitral insufficiency.

Treatment of Heart Valve Disease

The treatment of heart valve disease includes medical therapy, surgical treatment, and interventional therapy. 1. Medical Therapy Diuretics are used for patients with symptoms of heart failure such as sodium and water retention. Digoxin, beta-blockers, and non-dihydropyridine calcium antagonists are used to control ventricular rate in patients with rapid atrial fibrillation. Anticoagulant therapy with warfarin is prescribed for patients with a risk of thrombosis and complications. Additionally, it is emphasized to avoid factors that can trigger heart failure, such as overexertion, emotional stress, excessive sodium and water intake, and infection. 2. Surgical Treatment Surgical procedures such as artificial heart valve replacement or valvuloplasty are curative methods for heart valve disease. For patients with heart valve disease who have already developed symptoms of heart failure, surgical indications and contraindications should be carefully evaluated to maximize the opportunity for surgical intervention. 3. Interventional Therapy Balloon dilation of stenosed valves is the primary interventional therapy. For patients with severe isolated mitral stenosis, aortic stenosis, or congenital pulmonary valve stenosis who have minimal valve calcification, percutaneous balloon dilation can be performed to enlarge the valve orifice, reduce valve stenosis, and improve hemodynamics and clinical symptoms.