An elderly person with a mild leaky heart valve might live a normal lifespan, but a severe leak, especially untreated, significantly shortens life expectancy, potentially to a couple of years if it leads to heart failure, though medications can extend this to five years or more for many, and surgery offers even better long-term outcomes, with studies showing several more years of life post-replacement, even for the very old. The outlook depends heavily on the type, severity, symptoms, and timely treatment, which can range from monitoring to valve repair or replacement.
Symptoms of being easily or unusually tired, heart palpitations, chest pain and swollen feet or ankles are signs you should seek medical advice from a doctor as soon as possible, as you may be at risk of heart valve regurgitation.
More advanced valve regurgitation can cause symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, and irregular heart rhythms (atrial fibrillation). It can limit your activities, diminish your quality of life, and lead to heart failure. A person can have more than one leaky heart valve at a time.
While medications don't cure valve disease, they can play a vital role in managing symptoms and preventing further complications. Common medications used for leaky heart valves include: Diuretics: These help reduce fluid buildup in the body, easing symptoms such as swelling in the legs and difficulty breathing.
Many people live long and healthy lives and never realize they have a mild valve problem. However, if left untreated, advanced valve disease can cause heart failure, stroke, blood clots or death due to sudden cardiac arrest.
Symptoms of heart valve disease
shortness of breath. feeling tired or weak. feeling dizzy. heart palpitations, where you suddenly feel your heart beating irregularly or faster than usual.
People with leaky heart valves have life expectancies ranging between 5 and 15 years without surgical valve repair or replacement. The older a person is, the higher the chances that they won't survive long after a diagnosis of a leaky heart valve.
Treatment options for heart valve regurgitation include: Medications to ease symptoms (like fluid buildup) and prevent or manage complications. Heart valve surgery to repair or replace a damaged valve. In some cases, surgeons can use minimally invasive methods (smaller incisions).
A leaky valve doesn't close the way it should, allowing some blood to flow backward into the left atrium. If left untreated, a leaky valve could lead to heart failure.
The diseased valve may be repaired using a ring to support the damaged valve, or the entire valve may be removed and replaced by an artificial valve. Artificial valves may be made of carbon coated plastic or tissue (made from animal valves or human valves taken from donors).
Many people with heart valve disease don't have symptoms. But when the condition worsens over time, your heart beats harder to make up for the reduced blood flow. Heart valve disease symptoms may include: Fatigue (This may be your first symptom.)
Mitral Regurgitation And Other Leaking Heart Valve Symptoms
Even without symptoms, a leaky valve can put strain on the heart. That usually leads to symptoms you do notice, including: Coughing and chest congestion. Enlarged heart, which could lead to heart failure.
Travelling. You may be able to travel safely but check with your GP or heart specialist before you book a flight. If you have severe symptoms of heart valve disease, you may not be allowed to fly. Your doctor will have to assess your condition and give you the OK.
They are so sensitive that small amounts of leak (also called “regurgitation,” which is when blood flows the wrong way through a valve) can be found in 80 to 90 percent of healthy people.
Many healthy people have one or more valves that are slightly leaky. If the heart valve leak is severe, it may impair the forward flow of blood. This can cause symptoms of congestive heart failure, which include: Shortness of breath, especially with exertion or when lying flat.
You might need heart valve surgery if you have heart valve disease that affects your heart's ability to pump blood. If you don't have symptoms or if your condition is mild, your healthcare team might suggest regular health checkups. Lifestyle changes and medicines might help manage symptoms.
Types of medicines that may be used for mitral valve regurgitation include:
As your heart becomes weaker, it may not be able to pump out enough blood to meet your body's needs; when this occurs, it's referred to as heart failure. Blood can also back up into your lungs. Symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, and swelling in your lower extremities can be indicative of heart failure.
Valve Disease Symptoms
Around 14% of older adults (average age 77) with a severe mitral valve leak who didn't have it repaired died within one year, according to findings published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. But treatment makes a huge difference.
Age alone is not a contraindication for this operation, inasmuch as several studies have shown that AVR in patients 80 years or older can be performed with an acceptable operative mortality and morbidity.
The MitraClip™ device is a small metal clip covered with a polyester fabric that is implanted on your mitral valve. The clip is inserted through a catheter, without the need to temporarily stop your heart. There can be up to 4 different clip sizes used to tailor your clip size to your valve.
Trauma can cause valves to leak, as can infection of the heart valve or damage from rheumatic fever. High blood pressure, pulmonary hypertension, and an enlarged heart can also cause leaking valves. Some heart surgeries to correct heart defects in children may result in leaking valves later in life.
In people over age 70, more than 10% have moderate or severe heart valve disease. This is an independent risk factor for major morbidity and mortality. In the case of severe aortic valve stenosis, half of symptomatic patients will die within two years. Nearly all those patients could be saved with surgery.
“An aortic valve replacement is a major operation and occasionally the complications can be fatal. Overall, the risk of dying as a result of the procedure is estimated to be 2%.