I have just been diagnosed with a Mitral Valve disorder. The Doc's notes say Trace Center Regurgitation. Also Trivial Tricuspid Regurgitation. In simple terms, what do these things mean, what causes it, and how do you treat it?
This means the valves in the heart have a little leakage, so rather than produce complete forward flow there is some reverse flow (regurgitated). To determine how much of a problem this presents to you, find out what your ejection fraction is measured as, anything over 50% is good. Ask your doctor to explain, and put this into prospective for you.
If there is regurgitation but it's minimal, you likely have little to worry about. Mitral Valve disorder is commonly known as a heart murmur. Many people have them. It's only when there's regurgitation involved that it becomes more complicated. Since yours is trace and trivial it definitely requires investigation. At some point they may want to do a repair of the valve or a replacment but that depends on the degree of regurgitation. Regurgitation simply means that the valve does not close properly when the heart pumps out blood. It is the abnormal leaking of blood from the left ventricle, through the mitral valve, and into the left atrium, when the left ventricle contracts, i.e. there is regurgitation of blood back into the left atrium. Treatment will depend on the severity of the regurgitation so it's something you'll need to discuss with your doctor/specialist.
