Pathology of Valvular Diseases Flashcards
What is the main etiology of valve defects in children & adolescenrs
primarily congenital
What is the main etiology of valve defects in adults
Primarily Degenerative Disease,
e.g. Calcific, Myxomatous, etc., or Inflammatory e.g. Rheumatic HD
What are risk factors of valvular dieases
- Congenital Heart Defects,
- Ageing (40 million cycles per year),
- Rheumatic Heart Disease,
- Immunosuppression
- Invasive Techniques
What are the types of valvular diseases
- stenosis
- regurgitation
- mixed
What is stenosis
narrowed valve
failure of a valve to open completely, thereby impeding forward flow
What is regurgitation
incompetency or insufficiency-
failure of a valve to close completely, thereby allowing back flow
What is a mixed valvular defect
Double Valve Disease;
stenosis and incompetence
What causes a mixed valvular disease
Sometimes due to healing, the cusps of the vlaves may fuse but at the same time certain parts may retract and in that condition you will get what we call DOUBLE VLAVE DISEASE, which includes both stenosis and incompetence.
What are the features of valvular diseases
- Degree of severity: mild to severe
- Course: Acute or Chronic
- All valvular diseases have Characteristic Murmur
- Secondary Changes in the Heart, Blood Vessels, and other Organs e.g. Lungs
Which valves are most commonly affected
Acquired Mitral and Aortic Stenoses account for 2/3 of ALL Valve Disease
What is RHD
Inflammatory process that may affect the Pericardium, Myocardium and Endocardium (PANCARDITIS)
Usually results in distortion and scarring of the valves
What is rheumatic fever
Immunologic reaction induced by group A b-hemolytic strep
What is the pathophysiology of rheumatic fever
Antibodies against M proteins of certain strep cross-react with antigens in the heart, joints, skin and brain
What is the possible causes of rheumatic fever
- Genetic susceptibility
- Autoimmune response against self-antigens
What causes chronic rheumatic fever
chronic sequelae are due to progressive fibrosis and normal hemodynamic turbulence
What is the epidemiology of rheumatic fever
- May develop 2-3 weeks after a Group A strept infection e.g. strept. sore throat
- Repeated untreated infection (RF in 50%)
- Rare in Kuwait and Western countries
- Children 5-15 yrs (uncommon below 3 yrs)
What is used to diagnose RHD
Jones criteria
- 2 major criteria, or 1 major + 2 minor, with evidence of strept. infection
- Chorea and inactive carditis, each by itself can indicate Rheumatic Fever
What are the major jone’s criteria
- Migratory polyarthritis
- Carditis
- Subcutaneous nodules
- Erythema marginatum
-Sydenham’s chorea
What is migratory polyarthritis
– affects large joints
– temporary inflammation
– usually start in the legs and migrate upwards
What are the features of carditis
– pericarditis
– myocarditis
– a new heart murmur
What are the features of subcutaneous nodules
– painless, firm over bones or tendons
– back of wrist, elbow, front of knees
What are the features of erythema marginatum
– Trunk or arms
– Macules with central clearing
What are the features of sydenham’s chrorea
a series of rapid (involuntary) purposeless movements of the face and arms
What are the minor jone’s criteria
- Fever
- Arthralgia
- Raised ESR or C-reactive protein
- Leukocytosis
- ECG: heart block, prolonged PR interval
- Streptococcal infection: elevated Antistreptolysin O titer (ASOT) or DNAase
- Previous episode of rheumatic fever
What is the pathology of acute rheumatic carditis
- pericarditis
- myocarditis
- endocarditis
How does pericarditis present
Fibrinous/ Bread and butter appearance
How does myocarditis present
Aschoff Bodies (Paravascular)
How does endocarditis present
- Fibrin and platelets valvular vegetations
-Aortic and Mitral are most commonly affected