Acquired vs congenital heart valve disease

[Gypsy]

Hi

Does anyone know if the success and long-term survival of valve replacement is the same irrespective of the cause? I haven't been able to find any information regarding this. I have rheumatic heart disease and am wondering if I'm going to do as well as someone who is having a replacement because they were born with a BAV for example.

Thanks
Lucy

 

[dick0236]

I assume that when you say you have "rheumatic heart disease" you mean your heart was damaged by rheumatic fever. Either way, they have to replace the original damaged valve with either a mechanical or a tissue valve. If you get it fixed before further damage occurs you will do fine regardless of how your valve was damaged. Mine was rheumatic fever and I'm going on 41 years with an "artificial valve". Try not to clutter up your mind with a lot of statistics that may, or MAY NOT be relavent to your situation. Hang around these forums and you will learn that having heart surgery is not the end of the world. Good Luck !!

 

[Gypsy]

Not cluttering my mind with a lot of potentially irrelevant statistics - just trying to find out as much about my condition as I can which includes any potential setbacks along the way.

And yes, rheumatic heart disease is only caused by rheumatic fever ...

 

[Bina]

I find myself worrying if my mitral valve may end up in trouble just as my aortic valve was.
For the most part I keep living each day as it comes and using some spare time to keep educating myself on various heart conditions and scenarios.