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The causes of a leaky heart vary, depending on the specific location of the valve that has the problem. Sometimes this condition is minor and does not require special treatment.
What is a leaky heart?
Professor Xiao Mingdi, a Cardiovascular Surgeon Specialist at Shanghai Yodak Cardio-Thoracic on the detikcom page, calls a leaky heart a condition when there is a hole in the septum of the heart which causes each valve to leak.
This leaking heart valve is also called regurgitation. This condition causes the heart to become tense and work harder to pump blood and cannot pump normal amounts of blood.
Regurgitation occurs when blood flows back into the valve when the valve cover is closing or blood leaks through a valve cover that is not completely closed.
Characteristics of a leaky heart
A leaky heart usually doesn’t cause symptoms. The health site WebMD says that many healthy people have one or more heart valves that leak even slightly.
If the heart leaks badly, blood flow will usually be disrupted. This can cause the following symptoms of congestive heart failure:
- Shortness of breath, especially when you exert a lot of energy or when lying down
- Swollen legs or fluid buildup anywhere on the body
Some other symptoms of a leaky heart can include:
- Headache
- Fast heartbeat
- Heart palpitations
- Tired
What are the causes of a leaky heart?
The following are the causes of a leaky heart which are differentiated according to the location of the leak:
1. Causes of mitral valve leakage
This leak occurs when blood returns to the mitral valve every time the left ventricle contracts. A leaky mitral valve causes blood to go in two directions, namely to the aortic valve as it should and some of it returns to the atrium or foyer of the heart.
The causes of mitral valve are:
- Mitral valve prolapse or incomplete closure of the mitral valve
- Enlargement of the heart is called cardiomyopathy due to hypertension, coronary heart disease or other diseases
- Endocarditis
- Rheumatic heart disease
2. Leaking aortic valve and its causes
Aortic regurgitation is the leak of blood through the aortic valve whenever the left ventricle relaxes. A leaky aortic valve allows oxygen-rich blood to flow in two directions, namely to the body (as it should) and sometimes back to the left ventricle from the aorta.
Some causes of leaking aortic valves in the heart include:
- Bicuspid aortic valve, a condition where the valve only has two flaps instead of the proper three
- High blood pressure or hypertension
- Heart valve infection which is also called endocarditis
- Rheumatic heart disease
The American Heart Association says the most common cause of severe leaking of the heart’s aorta is weakening of the valve tissue due to age.
3. Causes of pulmonary valve regurgitation in the heart
Pulmonary regurgitation is a leak in the pulmonary valve. This valve controls blood flow from the right ventricle to the lungs. When a leak occurs, blood will return to the heart wall before going to the lungs for oxygen.
The most common cause of this type of leaky heart is pulmonary hypertension. While other causes are:
- Infective endocarditis
- Complications after surgery to correct tetralogy of Fallot
- Carcinoid syndrome
- Rheumatic fever and complications after catheter use or catheterization
4. Tricuspid valve regurgitation
This type of leaky heart occurs when blood backs up into the tricuspid valve every time the right ventricle contracts.
Every time the right ventricle contracts to pump blood to the lungs, some of the blood returns to the right atrium, increasing the volume of blood in the atrium resulting in swelling. As a result, pressure occurs in the heart chambers and nearby blood vessels.
The main cause of this condition is swelling of the lower heart chamber or right ventricle. Meanwhile, diseases such as valve infections (endocarditis), Marfan syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic fever, injuries and tumors can also trigger this condition.
These are the various causes of heart leaks and the characteristics of this condition. Always take care of your health, okay?
