Your aortic valve is located in the middle of the left ventricle of your heart and your aorta. When this does not close well, it will allow the flow of your blood to leak through it. When this happens, your left ventricle has to pump twice as hard to supply more blood. As it performs extra work, it may get larger over time. Because of this, you will be affected with a medical problem.

The term for this is aortic regurgitation, which can be mild or severe. There are some individuals who may already have the problem but will not show the signs and symptoms of the disease-until a few more years. The disease is usually characterized by the following:

Aortic Regurgitation

-- Angina Pectoris, which is discomfort or pain to the chest due to the lessened supply of blood to the muscle of your heart,
-- Fatigue, which is mostly felt when you perform a lot of tasks,
-- Heart arrhythmias, which refers to the abnormal beating of the heart,
-- Edema, which is the retention of bodily fluids within certain areas, and
-- Shortness of breath.

Causes of Aortic Regurgitation
Aortic valve regurgitation is caused by lot of factors. It can be a result of bicuspid aortic valve, which is a deformity to the valve. This may develop in newborn infants. On the other hand, it can also be due to heart infections such as infective endocarditis or rheumatic fever. Another cause would be the widening of the aortic root, which is an aorta part that is joined to your ventricle. This condition usually develops when the pressure of your blood is high or when you have Marfan syndrome.

Even if your regurgitation case is mild, you have to seek medical assistance. As your problem worsens, you may have to be prescribed with a medication that will induce proper heart rhythm regulation. The drugs may also eliminate the fluids from your body so as to control edema. Or else, they assist your left heart ventricle to improve its function. However, when your case is severe, you may need to undergo surgical treatment. Through an operation, your damaged valve is replaced with an artificial valve.

When you have aortic regurgitation, you are posed with the risk of contracting an infection within the lining or valve of your heart. The medical term for this condition is endocarditis. During the previous years, the AHA or American Heart Association advises patients with this problem to take antibiotics prior to surgical or dental procedures. However, recently, this has not been advised anymore unless the following occurs:

-- The patient has prosthetic cardiac valve.
-- The patient has suffered from endocarditis before.
-- The patient has a certain type of congenital heart problem.
-- When the patient has undergone heart transplant and developed a condition with the heart valve.

Since this medical ailment requires medication or surgical assistance, there are no known natural remedies for it. All you have to do so as not to complicate your condition is to limit your activities and avoid doing strenuous ones. When you feel tired, you should relax right away to prevent fatigue.