Heart valves are one of the components of the human heart. Their correct work provides not only the functioning of the cardiovascular system, but also the whole organism. For this reason, it is very important to know how many heart valves. in humans, how they work, how to recognize signs of valve disease.
Human heart
The human heart is a hollow muscle. It is formed by four chambers: the right and left atrium, the right and left ventricle. Atria with ventricles connect the flap valves. The heart contracts rhythmically, and the blood flows in portions from the atria to the ventricles. Lunar valves connect the ventricles to the vessels, through which blood is expelled from the heart to the aorta and pulmonary artery.
Thus, blood with a high carbon dioxide content passes through the right chambers and enters the lungs for oxygen enrichment. And from the lungs, blood flows through the left side of the heart back into the bloodstream. Ensuring continuous pumping of blood through the vessels is the main function that the heart performs.
Heart valves
Valve apparatus is necessary in the process of pumping blood. Heart valves provide blood flow in the right direction and in the right amount. Valves are folds of the inner lining of the heart muscle. These are peculiar “doors” that let blood flow in one direction and prevent its movement back. Valves open at the moment of rhythmic contraction of the heart muscle. There are four valves in the human heart: two valves and two lunar valves:
- Bicuspid mitral valve.
- Tricuspid tricuspid valve.
- Pulmonary lunar valve . Its other name is pulmonary.
- Aortic lunar valve or aortic valve.
Heart valves open and close according to the sequential contraction of the atria and ventricles. The blood flow of blood vessels depends on their synchronous operation, therefore, oxygen saturation of all cells of the human body.
Valve functions
Blood entering through the vessels in the heart accumulates in the right atrium. Its further advance delays the tricuspid valve. When it opens, blood enters the right ventricle, from where it is expelled through the pulmonary valve.
Further, blood flow enters the lungs for oxygenation, and from there it is sent to the left atrium through the aortic valve. A cardiac mitral valve connects the left chambers and restrains blood flow between them, allowing blood to accumulate. After blood enters the left ventricle and accumulates it in the right amount, blood is pushed into the aorta through the aortic valve. From the aorta, renewed blood continues its movement through the vessels, enriching the body with oxygen.
Pathology of heart valves
The operation of the valves is to regulate the flow of blood passing through the human heart. If the rhythm of opening and closing the valve apparatus is disturbed, the heart valves do not close or open completely, this can cause many serious diseases. It was noted that mitral and aortic valves are most often affected by pathologies.
Heart defects are most common in people over sixty years old. In addition, heart valve disease can be a complication due to some infectious diseases. Children are also prone to valve disease. As a rule, these are congenital malformations.
The most common diseases are heart failure and stenosis. In case of insufficiency, the valve is not tightly closed, and part of the blood comes back. Stenosis is a narrowing of the valve, that is, the valve does not open completely. With this pathology, the heart experiences a constant overload, since more effort is required to push blood.
Valve prolapse
Heart valve prolapse is the most common diagnosis that a doctor makes when a patient complains about a malfunction in the cardiovascular system. Most often, the mitral valve of the heart is affected by this pathology. Prolapse occurs due to a defect in the connective tissue that forms the valve. As a result of such defects, the valve does not close completely and blood flows out in the opposite direction.
Separate the primary and secondary valve prolapse. Primary prolapse refers to congenital diseases when connective tissue defects are a genetic predisposition. Secondary prolapse occurs due to chest injury, rheumatism, or myocardial infarction.
As a rule, valve prolapse does not have serious consequences for human health and is easily treated. But in some cases, complications can occur, such as arrhythmia (a disturbance in the rhythm of contractions of the heart muscle), insufficiency, and others. In such cases, treatment with a medical or surgical method is required.
Valvular insufficiency and stenosis
The main cause of failure and stenosis is rheumatic endocarditis. Beta-hemolytic streptococcus - the cause of the inflammatory process with rheumatism, reaching the heart, changes its morphological structure. As a result of these changes, heart valves begin to work differently. Valve walls may become shorter, which causes insufficiency, or narrowing of the valve opening (stenosis) occurs.
Due to rheumatism, mitral valve insufficiency in adults most often occurs. Aortic or mitral heart valve in children is prone to stenosis with rheumatism.
There is such a thing as "relative insufficiency." Such a pathology occurs if the valve structure remains unchanged, but its function is impaired, that is, the blood has a reverse outflow. This is due to a violation of the ability of the heart to contract, expansion of the cavity of the heart chamber, and more. Heart failure also forms as a complication of myocardial infarction, cardiosclerosis, and a heart muscle tumor.
The lack of qualified treatment for insufficiency and stenosis can lead to insufficiency of blood flow, degeneration of internal organs, arterial hypertension.
Symptoms of Valve Disease
Symptoms of heart disease directly depend on the severity and extent of the disease. As the pathology develops, the load on the heart muscle increases. As long as the heart copes with this load, the disease will be asymptomatic. The first signs of the disease can be:
- dyspnea;
- heart rhythm failure;
- frequent bronchitis;
- chest pain.
Lack of air and dizziness often indicate heart failure. The patient experiences weakness and increased fatigue. Congenital mitral valve prolapse occurs in children with episodic pain in the sternum during stress or overstrain. Acquired prolapse is accompanied by heart palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath, weakness.
These symptoms may also indicate vegetative-vascular dystonia, aortic aneurysm, arterial hypertension and other heart pathologies. In this regard, it is important to make an accurate diagnosis, which will reveal that it is the heart valve that gives malfunctions. The treatment of the disease depends entirely on the correct diagnosis.
Diagnosis of diseases
When the first signs of heart valve disease appear, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. Reception is carried out by a general practitioner, a narrow specialist - a cardiologist, is involved in the final diagnosis and treatment. The therapist listens to the work of the heart to detect noise, will study the medical history. Further examination is carried out by a cardiologist.
Diagnosis of heart defects is carried out using instrumental methods of research. An echocardiogram is the main study to detect valve disease. It allows you to measure the size of the heart and its departments, to identify violations in the operation of the valves. An electrocardiogram records the heart rate, revealing arrhythmia, ischemia, cardiac hypertrophy. An x-ray of the heart shows a change in the contour of the heart muscle and its size. In diagnosing valve defects, catheterization is important. A catheter is inserted into a vein and advanced through it into the heart, where it measures pressure.
Treatment option
The medical treatment method includes the appointment of drugs aimed at relieving symptoms and improving heart function. Surgical intervention is aimed at changing the shape of the valve or its replacement. As a rule, patients undergo a form-correction surgery better than replacement surgery. In addition, after replacing the heart valve, the patient is prescribed anticoagulants, which will need to be used throughout life.
However, if the valve defect cannot be eliminated, it becomes necessary to replace it. A mechanical or biological heart valve is used as a prosthesis. The price of the prosthesis largely depends on the country of manufacture. Russian prostheses are much cheaper than foreign ones.
The choice of type of artificial valve is affected by several factors. This is the patient’s age, the presence of other diseases of the cardiovascular system, and which valve is to be replaced.
Mechanical implants last longer, but require coagulants for life. This causes difficulties in installing them for young women who plan to have children in the future, since taking such drugs is a contraindication during pregnancy. In case of replacement of the tricuspid valve, a biological implant is installed, due to the location of the valve in the bloodstream. In other cases, if there are no other contraindications, the installation of a mechanical valve is recommended.