CLINICAL SPECTRUM AND ECHO-CARDIOGRAPHIC FEATURES IN VHD PATIENTS OF TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN TAMIL NADU

Objectives: Valvular Heart Disease (VHD) is an important cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality worldwide. The aim of this study was to establish the frequency of VHD on the basis of echocardiographic parameters, assess etiological factors, quantify the clinical spectrum and evaluate the medical management of VHD. Methods: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted for a period of 5 months from May to September 2021 at a tertiary care hospital in Tamil Nadu. A total of 101 patients, both in-patients and out-patients visiting the cardiology department were included for the study. Results: Among the 101 participants, the mean age was 55.43 ± 14.91 with 55.4% of them being males. The most common etiology was found to be degenerative (75.2%). The most commonly encountered valve lesions included mitral regurgitation (67.3%) followed by aortic regurgitation (36.6%), tricuspid regurgitation (33.7%) and mitral stenosis (21.8%). The prevalence of VHD and VHD of degenerative etiology increased with age >40. The occurrence of VHD symptoms was also higher with age >40 (P<0.001). Conclusion: The major causes for the occurrence of VHD among the study population were degenerative followed by rheumatic heart disease. Surgical intervention was not preferred by the study participants due to lack of financial resources. Greater efforts are required to ensure the affordability of surgical procedures by the medical insurance provided by the state/country, considering the better prognosis seen with surgical interventions.