Monday 3 October 2011

Valvular Heart Disease

Valvular Heart Disease

Heart valve abnormalities may exist at birth. Some require early medical attention while others may go undetected until later in life. Certain infections as well as rheumatic fever may damage heart valves. The aging process can also take its toll on valve tissue. Any of these conditions can cause a valve to become thickened (stenosis). The valve then cannot open freely. Valves can also become weakened and fail to close tightly (insufficiency). The aortic and mitral valves are the most often affected.

Heart valve problems cause the heart to work harder. If the heart isn’t able to keep up this work load, heart failure occurs. Fluid backs up into the lung and other body parts. This causes shortness of breath, swelling, coughing or extreme weakness. Medications can improve heart function, but sometimes surgery is needed.

Prevention of Bacterial Endocarditis
Anyone who has heart valve disease or has had heart valve surgery is at risk for bacterial endocarditis. This is an infection of the heart or heart valves that can occur when bacteria (germs) enter your blood stream and lodge inside your heart. When you are at risk for this infection, you will need antibiotic therapy for:
  1.  Any dental work (including professional cleaning).
  2.  Some diagnostic tests or procedures for the bowel or urinary tract (examples: colonoscopy, cystoscopy, prostate surgery).
  3.  Removal of tonsils (tonsillectomy).
  4.  Surgical procedures of any infected tissue (drainage of abscesses).
  5.  Some diagnostic tests and procedures of the throat or lungs (example: Bronchoscopy).
If you are at risk for endocarditis, you will be given a “Bacterial Endocarditis Card” to carry in your wallet. This will help your doctor or dentist decide on the kind of antibiotic and dosage you should be given.

Symptoms of endocarditis can be vague. Fever, sweating, chills, tiredness and appetite loss that last for 2-3 days should be reported to your doctor. Blood cultures are drawn when endocarditis is suspected. Antibiotics are given to treat this disease.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for the detailed information to me it is very helpful. you can get these type of information in The Mitral Valve

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  2. My husband was diagnosed with systemic mastocytosis last year and did go to the NIH and see Dr. Robyn twice. He had already had the bone marrow biopsy and aspiration, as well as the tryptase level test. Basically, they did some blood work there and took extensive medical history from my husband. They told us to go home and our local physician could follow up with him as well as anyone could since there are really no specialist doctors to see locally. They said if there were changes to follow up in about a year. He did go back about a month ago and found out that Dr. Robyn was going to leave. We made a research on local herbal medicine and we found out there is a permanent  cure with natural herbs and roots medicine.Of Dr James the great herbal doctor from west Africa, on how he uses his herba mixl medicine to cure several diseases like Bipolar,Schizophrenia,kidney diseases, Valvular heart disease,Alzheimer disease,  pulmonary hypertension,  SHINGLES,WARTS, HERPES,CANCER,HEPATITIS,DIABETES HIV/AIDS,AND MASTOCYTOSIS,and we proceeded and contacted him on his email Drjamesherbalmix@gmail.com..and he said he will help us. 2 days later you told us the herbal medicine is ready and he sent it to us.After 3 weeks of the usage as he prescribed to us.believe me my husband was truly cured of Mastocytosis.You can reach the Herbal Doctor on Drjamesherbalmix@gmail.com 

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