Side Effects of a Leaking Heart Valve If Not Repaired

Your heart valves are passages that join the chambers of your heart as well as the major vein and artery that carry blood to and away from your heart. If your heart valve malfunctions, blood can leak back into the part of your heart it just left, causing certain symptoms and posing a risk for complications.

Identification

• Leaky heart valves are known as heart valve disease, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Causes

• Possible causes of heart valve disease include rheumatic fever, damage from infections or heart attacks, aging, birth defects, syphilis and a connective tissue disorder called myxomatous degeneration.

Types of Symptoms

• Common symptoms of heart valve disease or a leaking heart valve include chest pains, palpitations, headaches, fatigue, dizziness, increases or decreases in blood pressure levels, shortness of breath and abdominal pain.

Risks

• If not repaired, a leaking heart valve puts you at risk for developing heart failure, stroke, blood clots, a life-threatening infection called endocarditis and even sudden death, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Solution

• Surgical repair or heart valve replacement are the common treatments for a leaking heart valve, according to the University of Virginia Health System.