Rheumatic heart disease chronically manifests as congestive heart failure from valvular involvement. Most commonly the mitral valve is affected, resulting in mitral stenosis or mitral regurgitation.

Valvular heart ... Mitral valve stenosis is the narrowing of the mitral valve, which limits the forward flow of blood from the left atrium to the left ventricle. It's often due to rheumatic ...

In rheumatic heart disease, autoimmune inflammation involving the mitral valve produces thickening of the valve leaflets and commissural fusion. The mitral valve is often described as having a ...

She spent many months in the hospital in an oxygen tent with severe congestive heart failure due to end-stage rheumatic mitral-valve disease, and had two previous attempts at mitral-valve repair.

Q. I have a leaky heart valve that may need surgery down the road. Can you tell me about heart-valve surgery in one of your columns? A. First, let’s explain briefly how the heart works.

February is Heart Month, an effort to raise awareness of heart disease, the leading cause of death for both men and women.

If you've been told you have a tight valve, or stenosis, this American Heart Association video explains what it means and why it matters to your heart health. Valvular insufficiency or leakage happens ...

Open heart surgery ... such as a defective valve at birth, or rheumatic fever, can also cause a leak. In some cases, these valves can be repaired. In many cases, the valve must be replaced. While ...