Aortic stenosis can be described as a medical complication wherein the aortic valve is blocked partially thereby leading to major heart problems. The key function of the aortic valve is to protect the opening that connects the left ventricle on one side and the aorta on the other. The opening of aortic valve is an outcome of the pumping of left ventricle which allows blood to evict from the heart and is then passed on to the aorta. The aortic valve shuts when the ventricle stops pumping thereby retaining blood from going back into the left ventricle.
A patient suffering from aortic stenosis experiences the aortic valve to open partially and the heart needs to pump harder so as to pump blood. In case of this type of Extra pressure being exerted on the heart, it might, at times, be a cause for heart attacks and other associated complications.
Diagnose of Aortic Stenosis
If not treated timely, aortic stenosis can prove to be deadly. Besides, it is dangerous to make an accurate analysis of the problem. Fortuitously, developments in science have made it easier to identify aortic stenosis.
The aortic stenosis is looked for by doctors in patients complaining for breathlessness, lowered stamina during exercise, acute chest pain, and dizziness. Moreover, they are able to detect the ailment by listening to the heart and noting the hum of heart which usually occurs if a person suffers from aortic stenosis. However, the general conclusion or dissipation is given through an echocardiogram.
Causes of Aortic Stenosis
The main conditions leading to Aortic Stenosis in adults are:
Continuous attrition of a bicuspid valve which is there in the body by birth can affect the aortic valve. In older people, the attrition of valve exists leading to the maiming of aortic valve. This damage to aortic valve might also occur due to rheumatic fever in young age or even as an adult. Unnecessary attrition of aorta valve for a long time might result in calcification, blemishing, and decreased actions of the valve leaflets. About 10% of bicuspid valves prove to be considerably tapering thereby resulting in the symptoms of heart ailments like aortic stenosis.
The progressive aortic calcification leading to aortic stenosis has nothing to do with a healthy lifestyle. However, the calcium that gets deposited in the coronary artery can lead to a heart attack. Damage to the valve by Rheumatic fever, a clinical state resulting from untreated disease by groups A streptococcal germs, might cause increased commotion to the valve and even more severe damages. However, Rheumatic illness is a relatively rare occurrence in the US, excepting the people who have migrated from weak and developing countries.
Tribulations Caused by Aortic Stenosis
One of the major problems arising from aortic stenosis is the blockage to outpouring of blood coming from the left ventricle thus exerting an extra pressure on the heart while throwing out the blood. Besides, this extra pressure on the left ventricular muscle results in making the blood thicker which might, at times, lead to a heart failure for the muscles that are thickened hinder the normal functioning of the heart.
Moreover, as the aortic stenosis gets worsened, chest pain might occur in addition to faintness and even unconsciousness due to stress on heart.
In case of severe stenosis, the left ventricle becomes weak and dilated thereby leading to major heart failure which cannot be regressed. Harsh aortic stenosis might also lead to unexpected death.
Treating of Aortic Stenosis
The best and most idyllic treatment for aortic stenosis is replacement of the valve through a surgery. Due to the trouble lying in an involuntary obstacle of the aortic valve, drugs do not prove to be much effective. Therefore, an individual suffering from aortic stenosis is, generally, recommended to go through an immediate surgery.
As a universal rule, substitution of aortic valve becomes necessary once the patient begins to have symptoms like chest pain, breathlessness, or dizziness. The standard life hope with these symptoms and no valve substitution is limited to a maximum of 2-3 years. However, if a patient is having the ailment with major aortic signs presented by the echocardiogram but does not show any visible physical symptoms, it is advisable for the doctor as well as the patient to give a close observation to these signs and symptoms.
The Aortic stenosis surgeries relieve the hindrance quickly. Moreover, in majority of cases, surgeries have shown improvements in the functioning of heart once the valve is replaced. Besides, old age patients also respond in a pretty good way after undergoing the surgery.
