Does rheumatic heart disease cause dizziness?

Written by Xie Zhi Hong
Cardiology
Updated on March 25, 2025
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Patients with rheumatic heart disease primarily exhibit symptoms of rheumatic myocarditis, pericarditis, or lesions of the mitral valve, aortic valve, and tricuspid valve including the pulmonary valve, with mitral stenosis being the most common. Generally, severe heart disease can impair the heart's pumping ability, leading to insufficient blood supply to the brain, causing dizziness. Some individuals with mitral stenosis may experience an enlargement of the atrium, leading to atrial fibrillation. Once atrial fibrillation occurs, the left atrial appendage can form blood clots, increasing the risk of clot detachment. If a clot detaches, it can pass directly through the right ventricle into the cerebral arteries, causing a major artery embolism that results in dizziness. In severe cases, this can lead to sudden death in patients.

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Written by Di Zhi Yong
Cardiology
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Does rheumatic heart disease cause joint pain?

Rheumatic heart disease can present with joint pain, especially if the patient has a history of rheumatic arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, which can be associated with rheumatic heart disease. There is a correlation between the two, but the possibility of rheumatic heart disease cannot be ruled out even if the patient does not have a history of rheumatic diseases. Currently, the treatment is mainly symptomatic. Rheumatic heart disease can include conditions such as mitral stenosis or mitral regurgitation. Murmurs can be heard between the heart chambers, and treatment may involve using medications that strengthen the heart and improve cardiac function.

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Written by Wang Lei
Cardiology
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Can rheumatic heart disease be cured completely?

Rheumatic heart disease is primarily a specific type of valvular heart disease caused by the involvement of rheumatic fever affecting the heart valves. This disease can be alleviated through medication and surgical treatments. For asymptomatic rheumatic heart disease, special treatment is generally unnecessary. It is mainly important to avoid excessive fatigue and increased cardiac load. Additionally, avoiding getting a cold and preventing the activity of rheumatic fever are crucial. For cases of rheumatic heart disease that require surgical treatment, it is necessary to assess the heart's function and the condition of the valves to determine if there is an indication for surgery. Options may include mitral valvuloplasty or prosthetic valve replacement. These treatments can relieve the heart failure caused by this cardiac disease, but it is impossible to cure rheumatic heart disease through surgery.

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Written by Di Zhi Yong
Cardiology
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What should I do if rheumatic heart disease causes excessive sweating?

If patients frequently experience heart murmurs in the precordial area due to rheumatic heart disease, accompanied by palpitations, chest tightness, and sweating, it is recommended to treat with infusion therapy and use medication to control the patient's heart function. If the patient's heart function is corrected, the symptoms of sweating will also be alleviated or relieved. It is advised that patients visit a cardiology department and choose hospitalization to improve their symptoms. After treatment, long-term and regular oral medication is still needed, as this disease is prone to recurrence. Regular hospital visits for electrocardiograms and echocardiograms are also necessary. If the symptoms are severe, sometimes surgical treatment may be recommended to relieve the current sweating symptoms.

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Written by Di Zhi Yong
Cardiology
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What to do about systemic edema in rheumatic heart disease?

If the patient has rheumatic heart disease, the current treatment mainly focuses on symptomatic treatment. If the patient experiences generalized edema, it may be due to sodium and water retention causing the swelling. In this case, some diuretics can be used to reduce the workload on the heart and improve symptoms. It is recommended that the patient be hospitalized. During this period, some cardiac diuretics can be used to alleviate symptoms. If heart failure is corrected in time, such edema can be reduced. Active symptomatic treatment is still necessary to mitigate the patient's current condition, but during this period, it is also important to monitor changes in the patient's heart rate and blood pressure.

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Written by Xie Zhi Hong
Cardiology
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Can rheumatic heart disease with enlarged heart be treated with surgery?

Patients with rheumatic heart disease generally present with valvular insufficiency or severe stenosis. If the patient's heart is enlarged and the ejection fraction significantly decreases, for example, if the left ventricular diastolic diameter is greater than 75, and the ejection fraction is less than 30%, the surgical outcome may be poor. This is particularly the case if there is associated pulmonary arterial hypertension, which may lead to no improvement in condition after surgery, indicating a poor surgical outcome. However, if the patient has severe stenosis or insufficiency of the valve function, not performing surgery could further worsen the condition.