heart and blood vessel disorders
Aortic Regurgitation
Symptoms of Aortic Regurgitation
Mild aortic regurgitation causes no symptom other than a characteristic heart murmur (abnormal heart sound) that can be heard with a stethoscope each time the left ventricle relaxes. People with severe regurgitation may develop symptoms when heart failure results. Heart Failure (HF) causes shortness of breath during exertion. Lying flat, especially at night, makes breathing difficult. Sitting up allows backed-up fluid to drain out of the upper part of the lungs, restoring normal breathing. About 5% of people with aortic regurgitation have chest pain due to an inadequate blood supply to the heart muscle ( The pulse, sometimes called a collapsing pulse, is momentarily strong, then disappears quickly because the blood leaks backward through the aortic valve into the heart, causing blood pressure to decrease sharply. 