User:Mr. Ibrahem/Valvular heart disease

Valvular heart disease is a disorder of one or more of the four valves of the heart (aortic and mitral on the left, pulmonic and tricuspid on the right). Symptoms may include shortness of breath, leg swelling, tiredness, and palpitations. Complications can include heart failure and stroke.

Risk factors include older age, rheumatic heart disease, prior heart attack, high blood pressure, diabetes, infectious endocarditis, Marfan syndrome, and heart related birth defect. They may be divided into inadequate opening (stenosis) and leaking (insufficiency). Diagnosis may be suspected based on a heart murmur and confirmed by ultrasound.

Mild disease may be followed via periodic checks. A healthy lifestyle including exercise is recommended. Antibiotics are recommended in those with a history of rheumatic hear disease. Surgery in the form of valve repair (valvuloplasty) or replacement (insertion of an artificial heart valve) may be indicated for more severe disease.

Valvular heart disease affects about 2.5% of people in the United States, with aortic valve disease resulting in the most deaths. While heart valves were first described around 200 AD by Galen, problems with the valves were not described until the 1600s and 1700s. Surgical treatment was first performed in 1913 by Theodore Tuffier in Paris, France.