Heart Valve Disease
Valves that leak or narrow — from rheumatic mitral stenosis, still common in India, to degenerative aortic stenosis in older age.
What it is
The heart's four valves keep blood moving one way. Disease takes two forms: stenosis (the valve narrows and obstructs flow) and regurgitation (it leaks backwards). In India, rheumatic heart disease from childhood throat infections still causes much mitral valve disease; in older patients, calcific aortic stenosis is increasingly common.
Symptoms
Breathlessness on exertion, reduced effort tolerance, palpitations, chest discomfort, swollen feet, or blackouts (a red-flag symptom in aortic stenosis). Valve disease is often first suspected when a murmur is heard during a routine examination.
Diagnosis and treatment
Echocardiography defines the valve problem and its severity, and repeat echo tracks it over time — many valves need surveillance for years before any procedure. When treatment is due, options span balloon valvuloplasty for suitable narrowed valves, TAVR for severe aortic stenosis, and surgical repair or replacement coordinated with the cardiac surgical team at Medanta-Moolchand Heart Centre.
Not sure if these symptoms matter?
A consultation answers that with an exam and the right tests — not guesswork.