Patient was educated on risk factors for valvular heart disease as follows:
- Rheumatic fever
- Infection with streptococcus bacteria, causing strep throat is considered one major risk factor injuring the heart valves.
- Damaged heart valves do not work as efficiently as they should and cannot close completely, resulting in regurgitation murmurs.
- Scar tissue can form in the damaged heart valve during the repair process.
- Scar tissue can be thick and so, can compromise the opening of the valves, resulting in incomplete opening of the valves and consequently, stenosis of the valves.
- Calcium deposits on the valve
- Heart valves can develop calcium deposits, secondary to prolonged wear and tear and the continuous force due to the flow of blood across the valve.
- These deposits get accumulated on the valvular leaflets, resulting in stiffening of the leaflets.
- Endocarditis
- Infection of inside of the heart (endocardium) can result in endocarditis and valve damage.
- Carcinoid syndrome
- This is a condition of small tumors, mostly arising in the small intestine and in appendix, producing excessive amounts of a substance called serotonin.
- The excessive serotonin secretion leads to thickening of the valves of the heart, thus impairing their normal function.
- Congenital heart valvular disorders
- Sometimes, individuals can be born with only two cusps for the aortic or tricuspid valve, instead of the usual normal three.
- At times, all the cusps of the valves can be fused together.
- Any of these abnormalities can lead to the congenital valvular disorders of the heart.
