Aortic Valve Regurgitation: Living With Aortic Regurgitation

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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 avoid secondhand smoke too. Your doctor may prescribe medicine and therapy to help you quit smoking. Studies show that the combination of nicotine replacement therapy, the medicine bupropion (Zyban or Wellbutrin), and supportive therapy significantly increases long-term success in quitting.¹ For more information, see the topic Quitting Tobacco Use.
• Your doctor will also recommend that you follow a heart-healthy 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 can exercise, do activities that raise your heart rate. Exercise for at least 30 minutes on most, preferably all, days of the week.
• If you are overweight, you may want to try to lose weight to reduce your heart's workload. The American Heart Association (AHA) publishes dietary guidelines for general heart health.
• Practice 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.
• Avoid getting sick from the flu. Get a flu shot every year.

If you have an artificial valve, you may need to take antibiotics before you have certain dental or surgical procedures. The antibiotics help prevent an infection in your heart called endocarditis.

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.

Last updated:	January 24, 2008
Author:	Robin Parks, MS
Reviewed By:	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine, Stephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC - Interventional Cardiology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC