What happens when rheumatic heart disease damages a heart valve?
A damaged heart valve either doesn t fully close (insufficiency) or doesn t fully open (stenosis). A heart valve that doesn t close properly lets blood leak back into the chamber from which it was pumped. This is called regurgitation or leakage. With the next heartbeat, regurgitated blood flows through the valve and mixes with blood that flows normally. This extra volume of blood puts more strain on the heart muscle. A doctor can diagnose an insufficient heart valve by listening to the heart and verify it by echocardiography. When a valve doesn t open enough, the heart must pump harder than normal to force blood through the narrowed opening. Usually there are no symptoms until the valve opening becomes very narrow. With modern diagnostic tools, however, doctors can discover valves that can t open fully many years before people complain of discomfort. What are the symptoms of rheumatic heart disease? Symptoms vary greatly. Often the damage to heart valves isn t immediately noticeable. S
