Q23.8: Other congenital malformations of aortic and mitral valves

You have a congenital malformation of one or more of your heart valves.

While developing in the womb, many different types of tissue develop in the body. The organs and body parts develop out of the various types of tissue. If tissue fails to develop properly, then defects can occur. The defect affects your aortic valve, mitral valve or both these valves. This type of defect originates during development in the womb.

The heart pumps blood through the body. Inside the heart are 4 chambers. There are 2 heart atria and 2 ventricles. Both heart atria and both ventricles are separated from each other by a partition. There are 4 valves in the heart. These valves ensure that the blood flows in the right direction. So they have to close tightly. They also have to open up fully so that the blood can be properly pumped out of the heart. The aortic valve is the valve between the heart and the body’s main artery. The mitral valve is the valve between the left atrium and the left ventricle.

A defect of the heart valves can impact the functioning of the heart. The heart may then have to work harder to pump enough blood into the body. The symptoms depend, for example, on how the heart valves have changed. If a heart valve is narrowed, the blood does not flow as well through it. If a heart valve is leaking, some blood may flow back through the valve each time the heart beats.

Some changes to the heart valves cause no symptoms. Other changes may cause shortness of breath or a rapid heartbeat. You may also feel weak or tired. One may also feel dizzy or have chest pains when certain changes occur to the heart’s valves. If the heart can no longer pump enough blood, this can cause back-up. This then leads to fluid building up in the legs.