Causes of Leaky Heart in Children and How to Treat It

Children born into the world can have congenital heart disease conditions and these can vary, one of which is a leaky heart.

 

Children born with congenital heart disease may develop symptoms later in life and one of these conditions is Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP).

 

Mitral Valve Prolapse is a common heart condition caused by a problem with the way one of the heart valves works. Heart valves are tasked with keeping blood in the chambers and chambers of the heart, and flowing through the heart.

 

This condition involving the heart can not be a serious problem because there are also children with congenital heart defects who look normal and do not turn blue or called asianotic.

What happens in Mitral Valve Prolapse?

The mitral valve (MY-trul) separates the left atrium from the left ventricle. They have the job of ensuring that blood flows in one direction during the first heart contraction i.e. from the left atrium to the left ventricle.

 

Every time the heart beats a second time, the left ventricle pumps blood to the rest of the body. The mitral valve itself has two folds (or leaflets) of tissue that swing shut to prevent blood in the ventricle from flowing backwards into the left atrium.

In MVP, one or both flaps protrude back into the atrium when closing, a bit like a balloon. This may happen because the flap has an unusual shape or is slightly larger.

What are the signs and symptoms of Mitral Valve Prolapse?

MVP usually does not cause symptoms or affect daily life. Many cases are not discovered until the child is older. Children who do develop symptoms may:

• Dizziness
  
• Being very tired
  
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing after being very active
  
• Feeling like their heart is jumping around or beating faster
  
• Chest pain that comes and goes
  

What causes Mitral Valve Prolapse?

In most cases, the cause of MVP is unknown. Sometimes children are born with the condition. While others develop it after inflammatory conditions such as:

• Endocarditis: inflammation of the inner lining of the heart
  
• Rheumatic fever: inflammation that can affect the joints and heart.
  

 

MVP sometimes occurs with health conditions involving the body's connective tissues (tissues that support organs and other tissues) such as Marfan syndrome and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

 

Some children may also experience arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat.

Diagnosis of Mitral Valve Prolapse

Sometimes the mitral valve closure makes a sound as it closes, like when snapping your fingers called a 'click'.

 

A doctor may hear this sound when listening to the heart with a stethoscope and find the condition to be such.

 

If the flaps do not close evenly or do not fuse well, blood may leak back into the left atrium. This is called mitral regurgitation.

 

When there is more than a slight leak ("leaky valve"), the doctor may hear a whooshing sound as some blood moves backwards into the left atrium.

 

This is a heart murmur, and is heard in between the normal heartbeat sounds.

 

When a click and a murmur are heard together, the click occurs first (when the flap closes and falls back), followed by the murmur (the sound of blood leaking back into the atrium).

 

In children, doctors may find MVP during a routine examination. While listening to the heart with a stethoscope, the doctor may hear a click or murmur.

 

If so, the doctor will send the child to a pediatric cardiologist, a doctor who diagnoses and treats heart conditions in children.

 

The cardiologist will perform an examination, listen to the heart, and may order tests such as:

• An echocardiogram (echo), which uses sound waves to create images of the heart and its blood flow. If a child has MVP, protruding valve flaps are usually visible when the heart beats.
  
• Electrocardiogram (ECG), which records the electrical activity of the heart.
  

Mitral Valve Prolapse Treatment

A leaky heart in children does not require medical treatment. If the condition causes a lot of mitral regurgitation, the doctor may prescribe blood pressure medication to control how hard the heart muscle works. (With blood leaking back into the atrium, the heart works harder to pump the normal amount of blood out to the body.)

 

A child who has an arrhythmia along with mitral valve prolapse may need to take medication to help regulate the heart rhythm. But this is rare in children.

 

Leakage from mitral valve prolapse can last for years. Rarely, a child may need surgery to repair a severely leaking mitral valve.

 

Later in life, a person may need mitral valve repair or replacement if:

• Their symptoms get worse.
  
• The left ventricle is enlarged.
  
• This condition affects how well the heart works
  

Preventing Heart Infections

Children who have MVP and leaky valves have a risk of developing a bacterial infection of the heart valves (infective endocarditis).

 

This is very rare during childhood. Many times the bacteria that cause this kind of infection start living in the mouth and enter the bloodstream through the gums.

 

Doctors usually recommend that people with mitral valve prolapse take antibiotics before dental treatment and surgical procedures as a preventive measure.

 

Instead, children should focus on good oral care and:

• Brush teeth twice a day, morning and night (after meals).
  
• Floss every night.
  
• See their dentist every 6 months.
  

 

If there are complaints such as the points that have been described for your baby, immediately consult a pediatric cardiologist.

 

Thank you for reading this article. Have a nice day.