Once, in the 19th century, during dinner, the brother of the famous French poet and playwright A. Musset drew attention to the fact that Alfred constantly shook his head. An excited relative informed him of this, but he only waved it off. But in vain! Symptom Musset continued his development - the poet's health deteriorated, and soon at the age of 47 he died. As it turned out later, the symptom named after him was a clear sign of aortic valve insufficiency.
What causes de Musset symptom
Aortic valve insufficiency is one of the heart defects in which the valves of the largest blood vessel cannot block the reverse movement of blood, and part of it falls back into the left ventricle of the heart, causing a lack of blood volume in the general circle of blood circulation. To compensate for this, the heart is forced to work hard, because of which, over time, its muscles become denser, and the size of the organ becomes noticeably larger.
Musset's symptom - shaking his head to the beat with heartbeats - is one of the most common and, incidentally, is more common in men than in women. It is associated with an increase in the load on the heart muscle, which is forced to push a larger volume of blood into the aorta each time than normal, which is why its tremors begin to feel sick, especially when lying down.
This is joined by:
- tachycardia, which occurs as a protective reaction to reduce the time between heart contractions and, as a result, to reduce the possibility of reverse blood flow;
- pressing pains behind the sternum that appear due to impaired blood flow;
- dizziness and fainting, provoked by a violation of blood circulation and, accordingly, the supply of oxygen to the brain;
- as well as a general state of weakness.
Causes of aortic insufficiency
Aortic valve insufficiency and the accompanying Musset symptom can be congenital (laid genetically or obtained due to adverse conditions of the fetus), and acquired (the valve changes as a result of certain diseases).
- Most often, the cause of the pathology is rheumatism - an inflammatory disease that affects various systems and organs, including the heart.
- A quite common cause is aortic atherosclerosis (deposition on its walls of a fat-like substance - cholesterol).
- Aortic aneurysms and defects of the heart muscle.
- The presence of chronic syphilis. By the way, this at one time also provoked the fatal symptom of Alfred Musset (5 years after infection, nodules form in the organs containing a pale treponema, they also appear in the aorta, causing damage to the valve and vessel walls).
Methods of diagnosis and treatment
In the presence of the above symptoms, the patient should definitely consult a cardiologist. During the examination, noise is heard over the aorta, which causes a reverse blood flow, and as a result of the radiograph, an increase in the left ventricle of the heart is also visible. To clarify changes in the structure of the aortic valve and the amount of ejected blood, echocardiography is performed.
Treatment is carried out depending on the causes of the pathology. In severe cases, the patient is sent for surgery, and with a slow progression of the disease, he is prescribed medication. The existing Musset symptom, shortness of breath and tachycardia also imply a limitation of physical activity, careful adherence to the daily regimen and nutrition.