congenital heart condition /Aortic regurgitation

[Humaira786]

Hi

I was born with a congenital heart condition; coarctation (narrowing) of the aorta and had surgery to fix it.

I am 18 now.

A few years ago I was diagnosed with mild aortic regurgitation.

I get tired and breathless.

is this a symptom of it getting worse? is it normal? what should I look out for?

[MoBat]

Hi Humaira,

I was born with a bicuspid aortic valve which had mild regurgitation before I had surgery last year to replace it and I too felt tired and breathless when doing any exercise.

If it seems to be getting worse and is causing you issues you need to speak to your doctors so they can monitor you. Being tired and breathless should not be classed as normal especially for an 18 year old.

All the best

[Hidden]

Thanks for replying, MoBat - you're absolutely right, this isn't normal and any change or worsening of your symptoms should be reported to your doctor or specialist congenital heart disease team.

Take care, Chris

[Midgeymoo17]

I will second most of what has been said above make sure you speak to your doctors about it because both of those are symptoms of valve disease and can indicate a worsening in the condition. This may I say is particularly important because you are 18 which would suggest you may well have grown since that diagnosis- which for me made my pulmonary regurgitation worse.

However, all the research shows that symptoms of valve disease reported by patients do not really correlate with severity of the disease well- so do not panic. It may well be very little has changed since your diagnosis but that can only be assessed by Echocardiogram so do raise the issue with your doctors.

[Humaira786]

ok will do

Thanks for your help and advice