How is acquired heart disease manifested and how is it treated?

Acquired heart disease is terrible because it often does not manifest itself for decades, it can occur at any age and lead to death. Since this disease affects the most important organ, it is necessary to be aware of the signs and causes, possible risks. Timely diagnosis will allow you to save a full life.

What is considered an acquired defect?

There are special forums for people with congenital or acquired heart disease. On them you can often find revelations of people who encountered vice at a young age absolutely unexpectedly. They describe their condition as follows:

“Sometimes vice does not interfere with living an ordinary life. But it happens that you feel like a ninety-year old woman.

Marina, 36 years old

Symptoms of the defect can be confused with signs of problems with pressure: the presence of shortness of breath, general weakness.

Together with these symptoms, with a defect, a pain syndrome appears in the region of the heart during exercise. A person can feel his heartbeat, the skin changes color: they become pale or acquire a pinkish tint.

At its core, a defect is a different disease of parts of the heart. The defect can affect the valves of the heart, the interventricular septum, or large vessels. The disease threatens the work of the whole heart: the blood either does not pass through the valve into the cavity of the heart, or does not fully leave the chambers.

1. Mitral bicuspid.
2. Aortic lunate.
3. Tricuspid tricuspid.
4. The valve of the pulmonary artery is semilunar (valve of the pulmonary trunk, pulmonary).

Unlike congenital, acquired heart disease does not occur immediately after birth and in most cases affects the valvular apparatus. It is grounds for disability and can cause death at a young age.

Classification of acquired defects

The main task of the valves is to keep the rhythmic flow of blood, to prevent its return. They pass blood through themselves during the contraction of the heart, they delay it during relaxation. When a healthy valve closes, there is not the slightest gap left. When the valve is open, nothing interferes with the free flow of blood.

Valves with a defect violate the mechanism of blood circulation: they cease to fully perform their functions. If the valves do not work properly, the cells of the body do not receive oxygen.

1. Stenosis.
2. Failure.
3. Prolapse (prolapse).

With stenosis, the opening for the passage of blood narrows. There is an obstacle to its progress in the form of fusion of the valve leaflets. The blood does not pass in full, part of it accumulates in front of the obstruction.

Insufficiency is manifested in the incomplete closure of the valves. Blood seeps through the hole, moves in the opposite direction. The heart works with double effort to expel the blood.

Prolapse is the protrusion of the walls of the valve, as a result of which blood flows in the opposite direction.

The defect can cover both one of the four valves, and several at once. A change can occur both for narrowing and for weakening the mechanism.

• isolated defect (1 valve affected);
• combined (stenosis and insufficiency of one valve);
• combined (damage to several valves).

Symptoms and manifestations of the defect

The defect of each valve individually can be determined by a set of symptoms and signs.

• pain syndrome in the chest;
• pain on the left side between the shoulder blades;
• dyspnea;
• asthma attacks;
• hemoptysis;
• increased sense of heartbeat.

• shortness of breath (on exertion);
• heart failure;
• pain syndrome in the liver;
• swelling of the legs.

Symptoms of aortic stenosis:

• do not appear at the first stage;
• on the second - less blood enters the aorta, as a result, fainting, pallor of the skin, chills appear;
• on the third - pulmonary edema, heart pain, shortness of breath.

Aortic valve insufficiency begins with a violation of the heart rhythm during serious exertion. Syncope, hypertensive crisis and shortness of breath speak of rapid development. On examination, the doctor will detect a pulsation of the carotid arteries. The patient can shake his head in rhythm with the contraction of the heart muscle.

The presence and strength of the manifestation of symptoms depends on the stage of compensation, that is, on the extent to which the heart muscle has adapted to the pathological features.

There are the following stages:

1. Compensation (the body fully adapts to the disorders, symptoms do not appear).
2. Subcompensation (symptoms of heart failure appear during physical activity).
3. Decompensation (symptoms appear at rest, blood circulation in all organs is disturbed, the heart is practically unable to pump blood, cyanosis of the extremities).
4. Terminal (death).

At any stage of the defect, the heart works with a vengeance. To "correct" the situation and cope with the pumping of blood, it can increase in size, increase contractions. However, the heart muscle will not cope on its own for a long time.

Diagnosis of acquired defects

The first diagnosis of the heart is carried out by the baby in the womb, when this organ is being formed. After birth as part of a medical examination in the first month of life and a year. Observations of the development and proper growth of the child's heart have a regular order. The child is under the close attention of a cardiologist until he grows up. Heart defects are often found in teenagers.

In children, the first symptoms will manifest themselves after a severe form of angina. He quickly gets tired in physical education classes, breathes heavily, feels his heartbeat. There is a tendency to bronchitis, over time, any physical activity causes shortness of breath.

An adult is faced with a heart examination as part of a medical examination, medical examinations. Also, the occurrence of symptoms is a reason for checking and consulting a cardiologist.

1. Auscultation (listening with a stethoscope and a phonedoscope) reveals wheezing, tones and noises, which indicate a violation of the heart.
2. During phonocardiography, the noises of a normal and affected heart are recorded and deciphered.
3. An external examination of the skin determines the degree of swelling of the extremities and blueness, palpation helps determine if the liver is enlarged.
4. Blood and urine tests show abnormalities in the functioning of the kidneys and liver.
5. The ECG shows a rhythm failure.
6. X-ray shows places of stagnation of blood.
7. Antiography (injection of a contrast agent) complements radiography for a complete picture of the state of the vessels.
8. Doppler echocardiography determines the direction and strength of blood flow.
9. Ultrasound of the heart helps to view the deformation of the valves and the organ itself in different projections.

Diagnosis of acquired valvular disease is a complex measure. Each subsequent analysis is designed to clarify the proposed diagnosis and choose the best way to stop or treat the pathology.

With ultrasound diagnostics of the heart, the condition of the valves, the thickness of the walls, the presence of blood stasis in the chambers, and the size of the heart are visible.

• the walls are sealed;
• the left atrium is enlarged (hypertrophy is observed);
• blood flow does not have one direction;
• blood is thrown into the atrium, the pressure inside it is increased.

• an increase in the mass and size of the left ventricle;
• reduced amount of blood ejected into the aorta.

In aortic insufficiency, the valve leaflets are deformed.

Relationship with other diseases and the mechanism of the appearance of the defect

The main and most common cause of acquired heart defects is an inflammatory process that was caused by a streptococcal infection. The defect can become a complication of a difficult case of tonsillitis, scarlet fever, chronic tonsillitis or pharyngitis.

• atherosclerosis;
• heart injury;
• ischemia;
• myocardial infarction;
• syphilis;
• sepsis (blood poisoning);
• endocarditis (inflammation of the inner walls of the heart).

Malformation due to past rheumatic fever affects children and adolescents. Until the age of 30, mitral and tricuspid valve insufficiency is considered the most common defect. The defect as a consequence of syphilis will appear at the age of 50, atherosclerotic defects - by the age of 60.

Ways to treat the defect and preventive measures

Treatment of the acquired defect is carried out by two methods:

1. Medical.
2. Cardiosurgical.

Treatment with medicines is possible at the stage of compensation. Drugs help the heart to cope with the additional load on its own. Patients at this stage are under the supervision of doctors, since at any time the medications will no longer contain the defect and ensure normal blood circulation.

• antibiotics (against inflammation against the background of rheumatism);
• drugs to maintain contraction and nutrition;
• diuretics;
• drugs to normalize blood pressure;
• adrenaline blockers (slow down the heart rate);
• aspirin and its variant to prevent blood clots and prevent blood clots;
• nitrates for angina pectoris.

Surgery involves the operation:

• replacement of the affected valve (prosthetics);
• dissection of the walls with stenosis (valvotomy);
• suturing in case of insufficiency (valvuloplasty).

Today, surgery for an acquired defect is a well-proven skill of cardiologists. Most of these defects were discovered by experts by accident (unexpectedly for patients, which means that they were in the early stages), they prescribed an operation, and it was successfully performed. Feedback from patients who have undergone heart surgery helps to cope with the fears of those who have yet to undergo such an operation.

After the surgical solution of the defect, doctors monitor the appearance of possible complications.

1. Properly organize nutrition (proper diet, complete and wholesome food, food intake regimen).
2. Take regular walks in the fresh air and airing.
3. Alternate exercise with rest.
4. Avoid strenuous physical activity.
5. Learn in detail the measures to combat vascular diseases, monitor the level of cholesterol readings in the blood.