Health Essay

Bicuspid aortic valve disease is a condition regarding one of the main valves in the heart. It is fairly rare disease that only occurs in 1-2% of people. It is twice as common in males then in females. What happens is two of the aortic leaflets fuse during development resulting in a valve that is bicuspid instead tricuspid.

It can easily go undetected for years until adulthood. This is because even with this disease the valve can function correctly for a while. Eventually though symptoms will show. These can show as murmurs or other malfunctions. It is usually inherited and develops when an infant matures. In some cases no action besides monitoring is needed.

People with BAV usually become tired faster than people with normal function. It can be diagnosed in several different ways. Future predictions can be made with genetic counseling to determine the chances of a baby getting it. Also, a MRI can detect this in adults if symptoms are noticed. In very rare cases if left unchecked death is possible. In most though it is detected and necessary actions are taken.

Treatment for this disease is available and is very effective. Patients with BAV should be monitored by a cardiologist. At some point for some a valve replacement is necessary. This is now become a much safer procedure than before. The heart surgery is performed by a specially trained cardiac surgeon. Drugs can be administered to control blood pressure also.

Lifestyle changes that help can include eating healthy, low-fat diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and exercising on a daily basis. Another thing is exposure to smoke from cigarettes should be limited. As you can see, this disease has been made manageable by modern medicine.