Study: Valvular heart disease in patients with chronic heart failure has been underestimated
Hitherto, the development of valvular heart disease in patients with chronic heart failure has been underestimated and rarely treated. This is the finding of a study conducted at the Division of Cardiology within the Department of Medicine II at Vienna General Hospital and MedUni Vienna and published in the prestigious
British Medical Journal (BMJ). Mitral regurgitation was often previously interpreted as part of the progression of heart failure rather than a treatable disease in its own right.
Mitral regurgitation is a disease, in which the valve between the left atrium and left ventricle starts to leak, so that blood refluxes with each heartbeat. Typical symptoms of mitral regurgitation are increasing fatigue, increased shortness of breath on physical exertion and water retention in the lungs and legs. Mitral regurgitation is frequently also associated with cardiac arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation. The disease is associated with a significant reduction in life expectancy and frequent hospital referrals.