Aortic Valve Regurgitation

Living With Aortic Regurgitation

Since having aortic valve regurgitation means your heart is working overtime to keep up with your body's needs, your doctor will probably recommend specific lifestyle changes to decrease your heart's workload.

• If you smoke, your doctor will strongly advise that you quit and may prescribe medication and therapy to help you do so. Studies show that the combination of nicotine replacement therapy, the medication bupropion (Zyban or Wellbutrin), and supportive therapy significantly increases long-term success in quitting.⁵ For more information, see the topic Quitting Tobacco Use.
• Your doctor will also recommend that you follow a heart-friendly diet and limit your sodium intake.
• If you do not have symptoms, your doctor may recommend regular, light aerobic exercise, such as walking. Do not start an exercise program on your own without first discussing it with your doctor.
• If you are overweight, you may want to try to lose weight to reduce your heart's workload. Various groups such as Health Canada and the American Heart Association (AHA) publish dietary guidelines for general heart health.
• Practise good dental hygiene and have regular checkups. Good dental health is especially important because bacteria can spread from infected teeth and gums to the heart valves.

Damaged or artificial heart valves are more likely to become infected with bacteria or fungi. You may need to take antibiotics to prevent infection before having certain procedures, dental work, or surgery. People who have had rheumatic fever may need to take antibiotics for 5 to 10 years following the infection, depending on the damage to the heart.

If you have severe aortic valve regurgitation, your doctor will probably recommend that you avoid strenuous physical activity.

If you have chronic aortic regurgitation, you are likely to live for many years without symptoms. During this symptom-free period, you need to monitor the function of the lower left chamber of the heart (left ventricle) with regular doctor visits and echocardiogram tests. How often you need to see your doctor depends on the severity of your condition. Follow-up visits are generally scheduled every 6 to 12 months.

Report any symptoms of chest pain, fainting, and shortness of breath to your doctor immediately. These are signs that you are likely to need surgery.

More information Can I exercise if I have aortic valve regurgitation? What if I have aortic valve regurgitation and am pregnant or want to become pregnant?

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Author:	Douglas Dana Merrill Hayden	Last Updated: April 7, 2006
Medical Review:	Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Stephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC - Interventional Cardiology
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