Everything You Need To Know About Rheumatic Heart Disease Treatment
Rheumatic heart disease is a condition in which the heart valve gets damaged due to rheumatic fever. This can occur following an untreated strep infection. The condition can result in serious health problems like heart failure. On this page, we will learn more about rheumatic heart disease, such as what is rheumatic heart disease, what are the causes and symptoms of rheumatic heart disease, how to prepare for rheumatic heart disease treatment, who are the best doctors for rheumatic heart disease treatment in India, and which are the top hospitals for rheumatic heart disease treatment in India.
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What is rheumatic heart disease?
Rheumatic heart disease is a severe heart condition which occurs due to damaged heart valves caused by a single or several episodes of rheumatic fever. Bacterial infections known as group A streptococcal infections can lead to rheumatic fever. An infection such as strep throat or scarlet fever triggers the body’s immune response, leading to inflammation throughout the body, including in the heart. Damaged valves lessen the amount of blood which can move through the heart. They may also allow some blood to flow in the wrong direction.
Causes and Symptoms
Causes
- Rheumatic fever
- Genetics
- Family history
- Streptococcal infection
- Poor sanitation
Symptoms
- Fatigue, chest pain
- Heart murmur
- Swelling in stomach, hands or feet
- Shortness of breath, coughing up blood
- Palpitations/cardiac arrhythmias
Diagnosis
Your doctor might use the following tests for rheumatic heart disease:
Blood tests: These will confirm inflammation or a high immune response.
Echocardiogram: This is a kind of an ultrasound of your heart to detect leaky or narrowed heart valves.
Chest X-ray: These tests will help check for signs of heart failure.
Electrocardiogram: Also called EKG, this test tells your heart’s electrical activity and is used to look for abnormal rhythms.
Risk & Complications
Wound infection: Surgery to treat rheumatic heart disease may lead to the risk of wound infections, bladder infections, lung infections and heart valve infections. Antibiotics may be given to reduce the risk of infections.
Stroke: The patient may have stroke if the supply of blood to the brain gets blocked.
Kidney problems: The kidneys may not work properly in up to 5% of people undergoing heart surgery. In some cases, the patient may need to have temporary dialysis.
Bleeding: There can be bleeding and tubes could be inserted into the chest to remove the blood. In some cases, another surgery may be needed to stop the bleeding.
Blood clots: This complication is common if you are undergoing a mechanical valve replacement. You will be likely given anticoagulant medicine if you are at risk.
Irregular heartbeat: Nearly 25% of people can faced this after an aortic valve replacement. However, the problems generally subsides with time. Around 1-2% of people will have to get a pacemaker placed to control their heartbeat.
Preparation of Treatment
Before you go to the hospital for rheumatic heart disease surgery, talk with your family members or loved ones regarding your hospital stay. You need to discuss what help all you will require when you come home. Before undergoing rheumatic heart disease surgery, talk to your doctor about any medications you are taking and if you can take them before the procedure and allergies you have had to medications. If you are planning to rheumatic heart disease surgery, your medical care team may tell about certain items that you need to bring to the hospital like personal care items and comfortable clothing. You need to shave your body hair where the surgical incision will be. You are advised to use a special soap to wash your skin to prevent infection. You have to fast for 8 hours before the surgery, particularly after midnight. Stop smoking as it may affect your recovery.
Best Doctors for Rheumatic Heart Disease Treatment
Dr. Ganesh Kumar Mani
46+ Yrs. Exp.MBBS, MS (General Surgery), MCh (CTS)Chairman- Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS)
How to prevent rheumatic heart disease?
Prevention is important for managing and tackling rheumatic heart disease. Implementation of effective preventive measures can help significantly lessen the burden of this condition. One of the main ways to prevent rheumatic heart disease is to detect and treat streptococcal throat infections. Timely diagnosis and treatment of these infections with some antibiotics will help prevent the development of rheumatic fever that is a trigger for rheumatic heart disease. Ensuring access to quality medical services is another important aspect of prevention. This involves timely vaccinations, regular check-ups, and proper medical care for people at risk with rheumatic heart disease. Comprehensive healthcare services can help detect and manage the disease at an early stage, thus preventing further complications. Awareness and education also play a key role in prevention. Educating communities about the role of maintaining good hygiene practices like covering coughs and sneezes and regular handwashing is important. Raising proper awareness about the symptoms and signs of streptococcal throat infections can tell people to seek timely medical treatment. Social determinants of health like poverty, overcrowding, and limited access to clean water and sanitation facilities need to be addressed to preventing rheumatic heart disease.
Treatment Option
Minimally invasive procedure: If the patient’s mitral valve is narrow and they don’t have any other problems with it, a surgeon can do a valvuloplasty to widen the valve.
Surgery: If you are suffering from severe rheumatic heart disease, heart valve surgery may be recommended. A surgeon will repair or replace the damaged heart valves. If they are unable to fix your valve, they will replace the diseased valve with a tissue valve or an artificial valve. They might perform a Ross procedure in some cases, where the surgeon will swap one of your healthy valves for the problematic valve and then place a new valve in place of the healthy one, they repositioned.
Medication: Medication can be recommended by your doctor to manage heart failure or a faulty heartbeat. Anticoagulants can also be used to reduce the risk of stroke or blood clots in case of a narrow mitral valve or atrial fibrillation.
Cost of the treatment
Cost of rheumatic heart disease treatment
The average cost of rheumatic heart disease treatment in India is $4750. However, heart attack treatment cost in India can vary from person to person based on several factors such as treatment approach, facilities availed, type of the hospital, age of the patient, and experience of the surgeons. The cost of rheumatic heart disease treatment in India is much affordable than that in many other nations across the world.
Recovery
Recovery after rheumatic heart disease surgery
The normal recovery time after rheumatic heart disease surgery is generally four to eight weeks and might be shorter following minimally invasive surgeries. Individuals practice very basic self-care and are often encouraged to get up, to do deep breathing and to resume drinking, eating and walking as soon as possible after the procedure. During this period, the patient may expect to slowly regain energy and resume their normal activities. Recovery will be unique for each individual. It will depend on the type of surgery, your health status prior to surgery and any complications.
Frequently Asked Questions About Rheumatic Heart Disease
Untreated or undertreated strep infections may raise the risk for rheumatic heart disease. Children who repeatedly suffer from strep throat infections are at more risk for rheumatic heart disease.
Rheumatic heart disease may come back or become a serious health problem. In certain cases, rheumatic heart disease might cause serious or even life-threatening complications.
Generally, symptoms of rheumatic heart disease show up 10-20 years after the initial illness. If a child has aortic or mitral valve abnormality because of rheumatic fever, they might have symptoms such as being short of breath, mainly while doing activity or when lying down.
You need to avoid foods rich in saturated fat like some meats, cheese, butter, whole milk, and processed foods.
Although rheumatic heart disease results from an infection, research has revealed that some families are more likely to get affected with the condition than others.
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