Mitral valve stenosis is considered as a cardiac condition of the heart valves. The disease is marked by the narrow mitral valve opening between the left auricle and the left ventricle. The narrow opening restricts the blood flow from the auricle to the lower-situated ventricle. Different hospitals treat this heart condition by looking at the disease causes, symptoms and then decide on the prognosis.
One of the initial stages of diagnosis of any disease is finding out the causes of the disease. This is an important step since planning for prognosis depends on the cause. The causes of stenosis of the mitral valve include:
Rheumatic fever
When it comes to this disorder, the most common reason is rheumatic fever. It is a combination of scarlet fever along with strep throat. The fever can also result in mitral valve thickening, which can also narrow down the opening. However, disease symptoms might develop after several years of rheumatic fever.
Calcium deposits
Deposits of calcium can take place in several ways. It can be due to excessive intake of calcium in meals. It can also result from faulty calcium metabolism, which prevents its breakdown in the body. As a result, calcium gets deposited on the inner walls of the mitral valve, which narrows the opening between the heart chambers.
Congenital heart disease
Stenosis of the mitral valve can also result due to a congenital condition. The congenital condition means that the condition occurs from birth. It can, therefore, be attributed to genetic defects or any defect in the development stage of the baby. As a result, the baby develops thickened mitral valves, which might create problems at any stage of life.
The causes of the mitral valve stenosis can be traced after it is diagnosed by its symptoms. Due to reduced blood flow between heart chambers, a lesser amount of oxygen is pumped to other organs. As a result, the patient might feel fatigued, breath shortening, coughing when at rest or during the night, swollen feet and ankles. Disease symptoms at higher stages include heavy coughing with blood-stained sputum and heart palpitations. The symptoms are similar to other heart conditions like myxoma or any blood clot formed close to the mitral valve.
Therefore, if you feel any of the symptoms, you must visit a cardiologist. A cardiologist knows the diagnosis and prognosis of the disease. If you leave it untreated, it might lead to heightened complications like heart failure, blood clots, and pulmonary hypertension. Therefore, you must check with the cardiologist so that you can maintain a healthy heart.
