One year ago I had mild to moderate aortic insufficency, this years echo showed that the aortic regurgatation is now moderate; also all of the other valves are regurgating mildly. Basically all of the valves in my heart are leaking, I am 39 years old and taking 5 pills a day for my heart; 3 hydralazine and 2 clonidine. Just how serious is this condition? I stay tired all the time. I do have a history of heart disease in my family. Anyone familar with this condition or medications to treat it? xtruckerwannabe I couldn't email you? I don't know what the problem is. Thanks
Heart Diseases - 3 Answers
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1 :
Aortic insufficiency (AI), also known as aortic regurgitation (AR), is the leaking of the aortic valve of the heart that causes blood to flow in the reverse direction during ventricular diastole, from the aorta into the left ventricle. Aortic insufficiency can be due to abnormalities of either the aortic valve or the aortic root (the beginning of the aorta). +++++++++ Excerpt above from third source below...excerpt below from first source below: ++++++++++ With treatment, the 10-yr survival for patients with mild to moderate AR is 80 to 95%. With appropriately timed valve replacement (ie, before HF and using criteria below), long-term prognosis for patients with moderate to severe AR is good. However, the prognosis for those with severe AR and HF is considerably poorer. Treatment of acute AR is aortic valve replacement. Treatment of chronic AR varies by symptoms and degree of LV dysfunction. Patients with symptoms precipitated by normal daily activity or during exercise testing require aortic valve replacement; patients who prefer to avoid surgery may be treated with vasodilators (eg, long-acting nifedipineSome Trade Names ADALAT PROCARDIA Drug Information 30 to 90 mg po once/day or ACE inhibitors); also, diuretics or nitrates to reduce preload may be beneficial for severe AR. Asymptomatic patients with LVEF < 55%, an end-systolic diameter ≥ 55 mm (“55 ruleâ€), or an end-diastolic diameter > 75 mm also require surgery; oral drugs are a 2nd-best option for this group. Additional surgical criteria include fractional shortening < 25 to 29%, end-diastolic radius to myocardial wall thickness ratio > 4.0, and cardiac index < 2.2 to 2.5 L/min/m2. Patients who do not meet these criteria should be reevaluated by physical examination, echocardiography, and possibly rest-exercise radionuclide cineangiography to measure LV contractility q 6 to 12 mo. Antibiotic prophylaxis against endocarditis is indicated before procedures that can result in bacteremia (see Table 2: Endocarditis: Antibiotic Regimens for Endocarditis ).
2 :
Medicines to improve a poor heart function such as ACE inhibitors or angiotensin-II receptor agonists (ARAs), help the heart work more effectively in the presence of a leaky valve. A serious untreated malformation can lead to heart failure. Significant valve defects can be treated surgically either by replacement with an artificial valve or by repairing the affected valve (usually specific to the mitral valve). check the site for more info http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/heart_valve_disease.html http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec03/ch028/ch028a.html http://www.webmd.com/content/pages/9/1675_57850.htm http://www.heartpoint.com/valvularheartdxmore.html http://www.cts.usc.edu/hpg-heartvalvesurgery.html
3 :
Hi Lisa R I have some info that might help you. I also have this website that you could check out. If you want the info and the link, please email me. You can send it to my Yahoo7 and this one, xtruckerwannabe@yahoo.com I only do this, this way so you will know I am very serious about the info I plan to send you. I believe that the company I represent and my team can offer you some answers to your questions. Please email me and I will see that you get the info and the link to the website. If you live in the USA or Canada, I can call you at your convenience. I am also a truck driver, so we will have to make sure our schedules match. Please let me know that you are responding to this from the Yahoo7 Answers site. That way I won’t delete your email. Sincerely, Tom, Xtruckerwannabe PS I can also send you a magazine from our company that might have some info that you could use. We'll see
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