How to Know You Have a Bad Heart Valve

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Diagnosing diseases of the heart can be difficult since the early stages of such diseases often have no symptoms. However, there are steps you can take to determine whether you have a bad heart valve. Early diagnosis is critical in limiting the effects of the disease.

Things You'll Need

• Physician

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Instructions

• 1

  Contact your doctor. If you experience any of the following symptoms of heart disease, contact your doctor and set up an appointment to further inspect your heart: chest pain, palpitations, fatigue, dizziness, unusually low or high blood pressure, shortness of breath, migraine headaches, and unusual abdominal pain.

• 2

  Get an electrocardiogram test. This simple test records the electrical activity of your heart and can detect any irregular rhythms of the heart or any damage to the heart muscle.

• 3

  Ask your doctor about having a chest X-ray. This test will produce a highly detailed image of the internal structure of the heart. The valves of the heart can be further inspected for any abnormalities.

• 4

  Seek a cardiac catheterization test. In this test, a colored agent is injected into the bloodstream so X-rays can follow the flow of blood in the heart. Your doctor will be able to follow the flow of blood and diagnose any irregularities of the valves.