Understanding the heart
The heart has four chambers - two atria and two ventricles. The walls of these chambers are mainly made of special heart muscle. During each heartbeat both of the atria contract first to pump blood into the ventricles. Then both ventricles contract to pump blood out of the heart into the arteries. There are one-way valves between the atria and ventricles, and between the ventricles and the large arteries coming from the heart. The valves make sure that when the atria or ventricles contract, the blood flows in the correct direction.
What is the aortic valve and what is aortic regurgitation?
The aortic valve lies between the left ventricle and the aorta. The aorta is the main artery that takes blood from the heart to the body. The aortic valve has three flaps or 'cusps'. Blood flows through the valve when the left ventricle contracts at the early part of the heartbeat. When the left ventricle relaxes the aortic valve closes and the mitral valve opens to allow more blood into the ventricle ready for the next heartbeat.
Aortic regurgitation is sometimes called aortic incompetence or a leaky aortic valve. In aortic regurgitation the valve does not close properly. Therefore, blood leaks back (regurgitates) into the left ventricle from the aorta.
What are the causes of aortic regurgitation?
The main causes include the following.
Rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever is a condition that sometimes occurs during an infection with a bacterium (germ) called the streptococcus. You body makes antibodies to the bacterium to clear the infection. However, in some people the antibodies also 'attack' various parts of the body, in particular the heart valves. Inflammation of a valve may develop which can cause permanent damage and lead
to thickening and scarring years later.
Congenital causes
Various heart problems present at birth may include aortic regurgitation.
Abnormal widening of the base of the aorta
If the root of the aorta becomes abnormally wide, the cusps of the valve cannot meet and the valve becomes leaky. The tissue at the base of the aorta can be affected by various conditions such as: Marfan's syndrome, ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, Reiter's syndrome, relapsing polychondritis, syphilis.
Endocarditis
This is an infection of the valve.
Average rating:
