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triple leaking valves

by puddin143, Aug 01, 2009 08:08AM
I am 61 yoa and recently was diagnosed with a scarred left mitral valve and three leaking valves.
Is there medication I can take or does this require surgery?
Member Comments (2)

by ed34, Aug 02, 2009 09:09PM
It depends on how bad the valves are leaking. It's like a leaking tap, some only let a drip of water out, some continually run. Lots of people have slightly leaking valves and continue to lead a normal life. They would never have known any different unless told by the results of a scan. If the leaks are bad enough to seriously affect your circulation then
surgery is the only option because there is no way medicine can reshape the valves or
remove scar tissue. If the leaks are minor then you will have regular scans to ensure the
condition isn't worsening, but this would only be one a year or every two years.

by kenkeith, Aug 03, 2009 03:46PM
To: puddin143
Almost always mild, trace, trivial valve regurgitation is often congenital  and considered medically insignificant and never advance, but there is a murmur heard with ausculation (stethoscope) and requires further assessment..

However, you indicate scarred left ventricle, and often that is the result of rheumatic fever and can damage body tissues by causing them to swell, but its greatest danger lies in the damage it can do to your heart. More than half of the time, rheumatic fever leads to scarring of the heart's valves. This scarring can narrow the valve and make it harder for the valve to open properly or to close completely. In turn, your heart has to work harder to pump blood to the rest of your body. This valve damage can lead to a condition called rheumatic heart disease, which, in time, can lead to congestive heart failure....the heart weakens due to overwork caused by a diminished supply of blood pumped into circulation as some blood backflows into the left atrium.

If your condition is rheumatic heart disease  your doctor may recommend that you take antibiotic medicines continuously for many years. Some patients with rheumatic fever need to take antibiotics for the rest of their lives. If rheumatic fever (scars) damages a heart valve, a doctor may recommend surgery to repair or replace the damaged valve (your mitrl valve).
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