What do leaky heart valves mean

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Get helpful tips and guidance for everything from fighting inflammation to finding the best diets for weight loss Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School. Recent Blog Articles. Chambers and valves of the heart A typical heart has two upper and two lower chambers.

Mitral valve prolapse and regurgitation Open pop-up dialog box Close. Mitral valve prolapse and regurgitation The mitral valve separates the two chambers atrium and ventricle of the left side of the heart. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references What is heart valve disease? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Accessed Aug. Mitral regurgitation. Merck Manual Professional Version. Otto CM. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of chronic mitral regurgitation. Rochester, Minn. Gaasch WH. Pathophysiology of chronic mitral valve regurgitation. Acute mitral regurgitation in adults. Nishimura RA, et al. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. What causes heart failure? What is atrial fibrillation? What is pulmonary hypertension? Management of chronic primary mitral regurgitation.

Surgical procedures for severe chronic mitral regurgitation. In this case, the heart valve may be monitored to watch for changes. In many cases, however, a repair or replacement is required. The good news is that valve problems are often quite treatable. Depending on which valve is causing the problem and the severity of your symptoms, your cardiologist or surgeon might recommend a surgical procedure or a transcatheter, minimally invasive procedure to repair or replace the leaky valve.

When possible, heart valves are repaired rather than replaced. Repairs have several benefits over replacements:. The Penn Heart and Vascular blog provides the latest information on heart disease prevention, nutrition and breakthroughs in cardiovascular care. Mitral valve regurgitation is the most common valve disease in the United States. Mild mitral regurgitation affects up to 20 percent of healthy people and has no clinical consequence. Nearly 10 percent of people age 75 or older have moderate to severe mitral regurgitation, which is of clinical concern.

Signs of valve regurgitation are similar to congestive heart failure. Regurgitation in the heart can be related to your age, a birth defect or heart disease. There are several ways to detect mitral valve regurgitation. Common forms of diagnosis include echocardiogram, cardiac MRI and certain types of stress tests. The treatment goal is to minimize symptoms and avoid the conditions getting worse. Medication will likely be prescribed to help manage your symptoms.