Cardiology is the medical specialty focused on the heart and the cardiovascular system. It involves the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels. These conditions include coronary artery disease, heart failure, arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats), and valve disorders. The field covers a broad spectrum, from congenital heart defects present at birth to acquired conditions like heart attacks.
Send us all your questions or requests, and our expert team will assist you.
The term structural heart disease” sounds technical, but it describes something quite simple to understand. Think of your heart as a house. It has walls, rooms, doors, and plumbing. While some heart conditions are related to the electrical wiring (which controls the rhythm) or the pipes outside the house (the coronary arteries that can develop clogs), structural heart disease specifically concerns the physical structure of the heart itself. Structural heart disease involves issues with the valves, walls, and chambers of the heart. These are the physical components that ensure blood flows in the right direction and at the right pressure. When a part is damaged or formed incorrectly, the heart’s efficiency drops, and the body doesn’t get the oxygen-rich blood it needs.
However, medicine has entered a new era. We now see these conditions as issues that can be fixed with minimally invasive techniques, not just scalpel surgery. Structural heart disease can be something a person is born with, or it can be something that develops over time due to aging, infection, or other wear and tear. To learn how doctors can fix your heart, you must first understand its basic mechanics. This section will walk you through the anatomy of the heart in plain language, explain the different types of structural defects, and introduce you to the modern approach of treating these conditions without major surgery.
To understand what goes wrong in structural heart disease, it helps to visualize how a healthy heart works. Your heart is a muscle about the size of your fist, located in the center of your chest. It is divided into four rooms, or chambers. The two upper rooms are called atria, and the two lower rooms are called ventricles. Blood flows through these rooms in a very specific loop. It arrives from the body, goes to the lungs to receive oxygen, comes back to the heart, and is then pumped out to the rest of the body.
Valves separate these rooms from the major blood vessels. You can consider heart valves to be one-way doors. There are four of them: the tricuspid, pulmonary, mitral, and aortic valves. Every time your heart beats, these doors open to let blood through and then snap shut to prevent it from flowing backward. In a healthy heart, these tissue flaps are thin and flexible and form a perfect seal. Structural heart disease often involves these doors failing to either open fully or close tightly.
Structural heart issues generally fall into two main categories based on when they appear. Some people have these conditions from the very first day of their lives. These are known as congenital heart defects. The term means the heart did not form perfectly while the baby was growing in the womb. It might be a hole in the wall between chambers or a valve that is too narrow. Many of these are found and fixed in childhood, but some are not discovered until adulthood.
The second category is acquired structural heart disease. This is much more common in adults. In these cases, the heart started out normal, but changes occurred over time. This is often due to the natural aging process. Just as joints can grow stiff with age, heart valves can become thick and calcified. Infections can also damage the heart structure, as can other medical conditions like high blood pressure. Understanding whether a condition is congenital or acquired helps doctors decide on the best treatment plan.
It is increasingly common to find adults who have lived their whole lives with a minor structural defect they never knew about. For example, a small hole between the upper chambers of the heart, known as an atrial septal defect, might not cause symptoms for decades. Another common issue is a patent foramen ovale (PFO), which is a small flap-like opening that usually closes after birth but stays open in about one in four people.
While many of these congenital issues are harmless, some can cause problems later in life, such as an increased risk of stroke or heart failure. Adults with congenital defects require specialized care because their hearts have adapted to the problem over many years. Treatment often involves closing these holes to prevent blood from mixing incorrectly or traveling where it should not go.
Acquired conditions are usually the result of wear and tear. The most common structural issue in older adults is aortic stenosis. This happens when the aortic valve, the main door leading out of the heart to the body, becomes stiff and narrow due to calcium buildup. The heart has to work much harder to push blood through this narrow opening.
Another common acquired issue is mitral regurgitation. This is when the mitral valve does not close tightly, allowing blood to leak backward into the lungs. This defect can be caused by age, heart attacks, or infections. These acquired conditions tend to progress slowly, meaning symptoms might creep up on you gradually over months or years.
The valves are the most common site of structural heart disease. For a valve to function correctly, it must be able to open fully and close completely. When they fail, it creates mechanical stress on the heart muscle. If a valve is “stenotic,” it means the opening is narrowed. Imagine trying to drink a thick milkshake through a tiny coffee stirrer; you have to suck very vigorously. Similarly, the heart has to pump with immense pressure to force blood through a stenotic valve.
On the other hand, if a valve is “regurgitant” or “insufficient,” it is leaky. This is like a door that does not latch. Every time the wind blows, it pops open. In the heart, this procedure means that after the heart pumps blood forward, some of it flows backward. The heart then has to re-pump that same blood, which makes it work overtime. Over time, this extra work can cause the heart muscle to weaken or thicken, leading to heart failure.
Stenosis is a blockage problem. It restricts the forward flow of blood. This issue is most frequently seen in the aortic valve in older adults. This restricts the amount of oxygen-rich blood leaving the heart to feed the brain and muscles.
This condition can be dangerous because it often has no symptoms until it becomes severe. Once symptoms like chest pain or fainting start, it indicates the heart is under severe strain. Treating stenosis usually involves replacing the valve entirely, as the stiff tissue cannot simply be repaired.
Regurgitation is a volume problem. Because blood leaks backward, the heart has to handle a larger volume of liquid than normal. The chambers of the heart often stretch out and become enlarged to accommodate this extra blood.
Mitral valve regurgitation is the most common form of this. It can happen because the valve leaflets are floppy (prolapse) or because the heart itself has enlarged and pulled the valve edges apart. Unlike stenosis, regurgitation can often be treated by repairing the valve rather than replacing it, using devices that clip the valve leaflets together to reduce the leak.
Aside from valve issues, structural heart disease often involves holes in the walls of the heart. The wall separating the left and right sides of the heart is called the septum. Its job is to keep the blue, oxygen-poor blood on the right side from mixing with the red, oxygen-rich blood on the left side.
If there is a hole in this wall, blood flows from the high-pressure left side to the low-pressure right side. This sends extra blood to the lungs, which can damage the lung blood vessels over time. Common types include Atrial Septal Defects (ASD) in the upper chambers and Ventricular Septal Defects (VSD) in the lower chambers. While VSDs are usually found in children, ASDs are often diagnosed in adults.
The field of structural heart disease has undergone a revolution in the past twenty years. Historically, fixing a valve or a hole required open-heart surgery. The procedure meant a surgeon had to cut through the breastbone (sternum), stop the heart, and use a heart-lung bypass machine. While it is still a safe and effective option for many, it is a major surgery with a long recovery time.
Today, many structural heart conditions are treated using catheters. A catheter is a long, thin, flexible tube. Doctors insert it into a blood vessel in the leg or chest and guide it up to the heart. Through this tube, they can deliver new valves, clips, or plugs to fix the heart from the inside, all while the heart is still beating. This approach, often called “interventional cardiology,” offers faster recovery, less pain, and is an option for patients who might be too frail for open surgery.
Send us all your questions or requests, and our expert team will assist you.
Structural heart disease affects the physical parts of the heart, like valves and walls. Coronary artery disease affects the blood vessels on the outside of the heart that supply the muscle with blood, often leading to heart attacks.
Certain congenital heart defects are inherited. If you have a close relative with a structural defect, such as a bicuspid aortic valve, it is worth mentioning to your doctor so they can check you.
Yes, although women have much lower levels of testosterone than men, the hormone is still vital for their health, influencing libido, bone density, and energy levels. Women can experience deficiency, particularly after menopause or removal of the ovaries, though the diagnostic criteria and treatments are less standardized than for men.
Not always. A murmur is just the sound of blood flowing. While it can be a sign of a valve problem or a hole, many people have “innocent” murmurs that are perfectly healthy and require no treatment.
It depends on the type. Biological valves made from animal tissue typically last 10 to 20 years before they might need replacing. Mechanical valves made of metal can last a lifetime but require blood-thinning medication.
Heart valve problems can be serious and even life-threatening. But, thanks to new medical technology, we can treat them without open-heart surgery. The Medical organization
Structural heart defects are problems with the heart’s structure that people are born with or get later. These issues can really affect someone’s life and
At LivHospital, we focus on new treatments for heart disease. Heart surgery balloon procedures, like balloon angioplasty, are small and don’t cut open the body.
Did you know that 1 in 5 adults worldwide has a heart condition? Structural heart disease is a big part of this problem.Getting a diagnosis
Heart valve disease is a big problem worldwide. It affects millions of people. Heart valve surgery is a common way to treat it. But, it
Nearly 1.6 million Americans deal with significant mitral regurgitation. This is when the mitral valve doesn’t close right, causing blood to leak back. If not
Leave your phone number and our medical team will call you back to discuss your healthcare needs and answer all your questions.
Your Comparison List (you must select at least 2 packages)
