Heart valves can also be found between the ventricles and all the major arteries, that is, the aorta and also the pulmonary artery, and these too serve the same function.

Heart valve failure on either side of the heart could lead to various issues that not only involve the heart, but also some other parts of the body. For example, in case of the failure of the left side of the heart, fluids accumulate in the lungs. This condition is also medically termed as the pulmonary oedema. The left side of the heart consists of the aortic or the mitral valve.

Similarly, the right side failure of the heart is caused by the failure of the pulmonary and tricuspid valve. These are quite rare but can be easily triggered by severe forms of a congenital heart disease or also due to the long term failure of left side heart disease. This form of heart failure is characterized by the accumulation of fluids in various parts of the body, such as the legs, liver and abdominal cavity.

The malformation that takes place in the heart valves can be divided into two different categories. These are – narrowed valves and leaking valves. Alternatively, this malformation can also be due to a combination these two. Let us take a look at both of them briefly:

• Narrowed valves – These are also called stenosed valves. There are a number of reasons that can trigger these. Some of the common factors are congenital abnormality, damage from rheumatic fever, degeneration through atherosclerosis and also due to excessive amount of calcification in old age.
• Leaking valves – The leaking valves are medically termed as regurgitant valves, and they are mainly triggered due to bacterial infection, inflammation of the valve, enlargement of a blood vessel or the heart and also due to the excessive floppiness of mitral valve leaflets.

It is necessary to seek medical attention as soon as a malformation is detected. Though minor leakage in the valves is not a matter of grave concern, any sort of serious malformation that is left untreated could lead to possible heart failure.

As a matter of fact, most of the people suffering from the disorder of a leaking valve are totally unaware of the condition. The reason behind this is that in most of the cases, the leaking valve only remains in a mild condition and does not even reach the point where it requires medical attention. This leaves most of the cases unnoticed.

Valve regurgitation, also the medical term for a leaking heart valve, has various symptoms via which one can notice their presence and react in time. The most common symptoms are unexplained fatigue, heart palpitations, the shortness of breath (especially when you are exercising), regular awareness of your heart beats, irregular and fluttery heart beat, angina (also medically referred to as chest pain), fainting or dizziness, and swollen feet or ankles.

The heart valves in the body function to help move the blood in one direction through the heart. In situation where there is a valve leak, the leaflets of the valves fail to close properly, allowing some of the blood to be regurgitated in the backward direction, which is actually wrong.

Also, in cases where valve regurgitation or valve leakage is quite severe, the heart is required to work much harder in an attempt to re-pump the lost blood back through the heart and into the body. This extra work done by the heart eventually results in heart enlargement.

f you have started to notice that the regular activities that you were doing normally in the past have started to tire you out, and you are experiencing one or more than anyone of the symptoms mentioned above, it is recommended that you visit your doctor or a cardiologist at the earliest.

There are people who feel exhausted by just walking to the mailbox in their drive, while there are others who suffer from chest pain even when they bend to pick up some clothes from the dryer, while in some cases wherein people experience breathlessness just by standing in the heat. All these and more similar signs could possibly suggest that you are suffering from a leaking heart valve.

It is important to have your check up done soon in case you encounter anyone of these symptoms.

However, one of the main and also the most common cause of a leaking heart valve is the result of a diseased heart valve that has been experiencing valvular regurgitation. This regurgitation has a tremendously negative impact on the flow of blood that crosses each of the four valves in the heart, namely the aortic valve, mitral valve, tricuspid valve and the pulmonary valve.

The body functions properly when the valves do their function of helping the blood pass through one direction. Whenever the blood passes through these valves, the valves close and thus leave the blood with no other option than to travel upwards. In case of a leaking heart valve, the valves do not close properly. This ultimately forces the heart to work harder since it needs to make an extra effort to make the blood pass through the valve. If left unattended, this can eventually lead to a host of leaking heart valve symptoms and also an enlarged heart. This condition is commonly called a dilated heart, and medically referred to as cardiomegaly. This can lead to further problems in the body, some of them such as filling of fluid in the lungs, abnormal rhythms of the heart, blood clots, edema and also cardiac failure.
Symptoms of a leaking heart valve: Listed below are some of the most common symptoms that occur in case of a leaking heart valve. These are:

• Fatigue – this is especially experienced in case of increased activity.
• Shortness of breath – especially when you lie down and also with exertion.
• Cough – Mostly at night or when you are resting.
• Palpitations of the heart – makes you have sensations of a fluttering and rapid heartbeat.
• Swollen feet and ankles.
• Murmuring of the heart – This is also one of the most primary factors for the doctors to decide if you have a leaking heart valve.
• Excessive urination.
• Acute pain in the chest (also medically termed as angina) or tightness.
• Fainting with exertion or feeling faint or dizzy.

There is however, a condition associated with the leakage of heart valves. It is not essential for a patient suffering from this disease to experience the symptoms. There are quite a lot of people who suffer mildly from this condition, but do not experience any of these symptoms. This is also the reason why many cases of leaking heart valves go undetected.

In case where one of the valves in the heart becomes slightly leaky, the flow of the blood does not remain smooth, and when blood passes through the heart, it may do so in a more turbulent manner than usual. This result in the production of a noise each time the blood passes through the leaky valve. This noise can be heard easily with the help of a stethoscope, and is known as heart murmur. Heart murmur is one of the most common symptoms of a leaking heart valve, and is a very helpful in the diagnosis of this disease.

There are more leaking heart cases in the world than are actually diagnosed and treated. The reason behind this is that it is not always necessary that the symptoms of this condition can be detected. As a result of this, most of the cases in the mild and slightly severe stage pass undetected. There is nothing much to worry about if the leak is mild, however, in case of a severe leakage, the pressure in one or more than one chambers of the heart may get altered.

If this condition is left unattended, it may cause a strain with the passage of time. Eventually, it may lead to fatal conditions where the patient may develop symptoms of heart failure. These could include swollen ankles or feet and also breathlessness.
Many people hold the opinion that an ECG is very helpful when it comes to diagnosing leaking heart valves. ECG is the recording of the electrical activities that take place in the heart. It is beyond doubt that an ECG may suggest structural problems in a heart; however, a definite diagnosis is quite necessary. This is done with the help of an echocardiogram. The echocardiogram is actually a scan that is capable of producing pictures inside the heart. This test is recommended by doctors and cardiologists to confirm the detection of a leaking heart valve. In addition to this, the pictures can also give an idea on the severity of the situation, of how mild or severe the valve is.

With minor heart valve leaks, no treatment is necessary. The patient’s condition may remain stable throughout his or her life, and if this is the case, it is unlikely to cause any harm.

Regurgitation mainly has an impact on the flow of the blood in a negative manner, and the flow of blood is affected in all the four valves of the heart. These four valves are – tricuspid valve, pulmonary valve, aortic valve and mitral valve.

Over the passage of time, this leaking heart valve forces the heart to work much harder, and thus some extra amount of effort is required pump the blood back through a valve. These tires the heart quickly and also leads to the enlargement of the heart. Furthermore, if left unattended, it can also act as a trigger for other leaking heart valve symptoms.

Some of the most common symptoms of a leaking heart valve include fatigue, shortness of breath, heart palpitations and heart murmur, swollen ankles or feet, cough, chest pain, excessive urination, faint feeling and dizziness.

One important point to note here is that it is not always necessary for a patient suffering from this condition to exhibit the symptoms of a leaking heart valve. Most of the times the symptoms are so mild that they pass unnoticed. In some cases, these symptoms eve go undetected in case of a moderate or a severe leakage.

The best treatment option for you – This is one of the most important decisions that you have to take if you are suffering from this disease. There are a variety of options that you have, and although you may have your doctor to advise you on the number of treatments available, you should consider what treatment you would want to undergo. The treatments for this disease involve a number of factors, and you should study each one carefully before you finalize on one. Mentioned here are some factors that can influence your decision of the type of treatment:

• Your age
• Your current medical condition
• Consider any other medication that you are consuming
• Your present lifestyle and also your future goals
• Ask the doctor about the benefits and disadvantages of each type of treatment available.

If you are experiencing any of the above mentioned symptoms, it is advised that you immediately see your cardiologist. Most of the heart valve complications can easily be detected by listening to the sound of heart valves by a stethoscope. This is therefore one of the basic steps for diagnosing a heart disease.