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What Is The Best Treatment For Mitral Valve Disease?

Mitral valve disease is a heart disease that affects the mitral valve of the heart. Mitral valve is present in between the two left chambers of the heart- left atrium and left ventricle.^[1] Due to the defect in mitral valve, the main pumping chamber of the heart- the left ventricle- cannot pump enough blood to different parts of the body.

The treatment for mitral valve disease is different for different types of the disease. Let us see the best treatment for each type of mitral valve disease.

Treatment For Mitral Valve Regurgitation

The treatment of mitral valve regurgitation will depend on how severe your condition and your symptoms are. It also depends on whether your condition is getting worse and with what speed.

The treatment protocol will generally include the following strategies, with a few exceptions depending upon the patient.

Watchful waiting period–

If you are suffering from a mild mitral valve regurgitation, you may not need any treatment
However, you may be monitored by your doctor to see if your condition is worsening or to detect any early signs of development of complications
Regular evaluations will be needed which will rather depend upon the severity of your condition
Your cardiologist may ask you to make some lifestyle changes in order to improve your condition

Medications–

Medications cannot treat mitral valve regurgitation
However, the cardiologist may write down a prescription to treat the symptoms of your condition
These medications may include diuretics, anti-coagulants and anti-hypertensives

Surgery–

In severe condition, the mitral valve may be needed to be repaired or replaced
Even if you are not experiencing severe symptoms, mitral valve repairing, or replacement may still be suggested so that any future complications can be avoided
This may also help in improving the prognosis of the disease
If a surgery is needed for another heart condition, the doctor may repair or replace the mitral valve during that surgery even
A robot assisted heart surgery may also be performed at some centers.^[2]

Mitral valve regurgitation is a condition where the mitral valve of your heart is not able to close properly, which leads to a backflow of blood into the left atrium. If there is a significant problem with the mitral valve, then the heart will not be able to pump the blood as efficiently to all the body parts as it should, and you may feel very tired or out of breath.^[3]

Treatment For Mitral Valve Stenosis

Mitral valve stenosis is a condition where the mitral valve of the heart is narrowed. As a result, the valve cannot open properly and thus, the blood flow to the left ventricle is blocked.^[4] There could be symptoms like shortness of breath and tiredness, among others.

The treatment protocol will generally include following strategies-

Watchful waiting period-

If you do not suffer from a severe condition, you may not require any treatment
Your doctor will keep you monitored to watch for any signs of worsening or complications

Medications. There are no medications to correct a mitral valve defect. However, medicines can help reduce the symptoms by relaxing the heart’s workload and correcting the rhythm. For this purpose, your doctor may prescribe you with medications like diuretics, blood thinners, beta blockers, antiarrhythmics and/or antibiotics, according to your condition.

Surgery. Procedures to repair or replace your valve may be an option. These may be surgical or non-surgical procedures. Some of these procedures are- percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty, commissurotomy and mitral valve replacement^[5]

The treatment of mitral valve disease will rather depend upon the severity of your symptoms and whether your condition is stable or worsening. In some instances, there may not be any need of treatment at all, while some others may require treatment options like medications and non-surgical and surgical procedures, as needed.

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What Is The Best Treatment For Mitral Valve Disease?