What is Tricuspid Regurgitation
Tricuspid regurgitation is a disorder in which a person’s tricuspid valve in their heart does not close properly and causes blood to flow backward into the upper right heart chamber when the right lower heart chamber contracts.
Causes of Tricuspid Regurgitation
Tricuspid Regurgitation occurs when the tricuspid valve separates the lower right heart chamber, also known as the right ventricle, from the upper right heart chamber, known as the right atrium. This separation allows the blood to flow backward back into the right atrium when the right ventricle contracts. The most common cause of Tricuspid Regurgitation is due to the swelling of the right ventricle. Such swelling may be a complication of any disorder that causes failure of the right ventricle. The most common of these is rheumatic fever, which is a complication due to untreated strep throat infections. Tricuspid Regurgitation can also be caused by Radiation therapy, injury to the heart itself, Rheumatoid arthritis, Marfan syndrome and Carcinoid tumors (cause a release of a hormone which damages the valve). Tricuspid Regurgitation affects 1 out of every 25,000 people. It may be found in those with a type of congenital heart disease called Ebsteins Anomaly, which is a rare heart defect where parts of the tricuspid valve are abnormal.
Symptoms of Tricuspid Regurgitation
Tricuspid regurgitation usually only causes symptoms if a patient experiences pulmonary hypertension (a condition in which a patient has abnormally high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs that causes the right side of the heart to pump blood through the lungs at a lower pressure). If a patient experiences both moderate-to-severe tricuspid regurgitation and pulmonary hypertension symptoms such as fatigue, decreased urine output, weakness, swelling of the feet, ankles and abdomen, and active pulsing in the neck veins can occur. If the patient does not have pulmonary hypertension then it is possible to experience no symptoms of Tricuspid Regurgitation.
Tests and Treatments of Tricuspid Regurgitation
A doctor may detect an abnormality by gently pressing on the chest or feeling the pulse over the liver for swelling. Also listening to the heart with a stethoscope a doctor may identify a heart murmur or other abnormal sounds. More advanced tests that could show signs of Tricuspid Regurgitation are echocardiograms which would show swelling on the right side of the heart.
If a patient is experiencing a few of the symptoms, treatment may not be needed. Patients with more severe symptoms may need to be hospitalized and diagnosed to search for underlying disorders. Once a doctor has identified these symptoms they can be treated. In some cases patients can elect to have surgery to replace or repair the tricuspid valve.
Note: This information is not a substitute for talking with your doctor.
