Heart valve leak

[2025letsmakeitthebest1]

My 15 year old daughter has been having a few unusual symptoms the last 18 months.
Dizziness, heart palpitations, fainting and chest pain.
An ecg has shown she has an ectopic heart beat and a slightly shorter pr interval but all within acceptable limits.
However, an Echocardiogram has shown she has a leaky heart valve on the right hand side. The consultant said if it was mild they wouldn’t worry but it’s above that. She has been referred to a larger hospital and I’ve been told she will be seen in 6-12 months.
Has anybody else had a child with this condition? I’ve not been given any advice on when to worry or seek more help.
I’m so upset and unsure what to do.

Thanks

There are 2 valves on the right hand side so it would be good to know which one (it should say in the letter you got).

mild is good but they usually just watch every 6-12 months for any changes. Could stay exactly the same forever, or it could change!

have you been given the phone number to the cardiac liaison nurses attached to your hospital? They are usually amazing at explaining things and a good contact if you feel things have changed with your DD or are worried about something (non urgent)

They’ve said it’s not mild so I’m guessing it’s moderate. I have the secretary details for the cardiologist she saw last week so I’m going to ring with some questions tomorrow. I think I kind of shut down when he diagnosed as it was unexpected and I didn’t ask anything.

Leaky valves are really quite common OP.

If you think or circulation being like your central heating at home then the heart is the boiler and has both mechanical parts (atria, ventricles, valves) and electrical which is what is seen on an ECG.

A mild leak shouldn't be of much concern, they will continue to check it is not increasing.

The right side of the heart takes deoxygenated blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs to oxygenate the blood.

The tricuspid valve is between the right atrium and the right ventricle, the pulmonary valve is between the right ventricle and the pulmonary valve.

Heart valves can be replaced but no one wants to put a 15 year old through that without good reason.

The first pacemakers only had one electrical lead and that was fed through the veins into the right atrium and then in to the right ventricle. Obviously passing a wire through the tricuspid valve means it doesn't close properly and therefore has a small leak.

Modern pacemakers often have more leads, but many pacing leads are passed through the tricuspid valve everyday.

I am not saying your DD needs a pacemaker, just that small leaks are not always a problem to the extent that causing a small leak is preferable in some procedures.

The British heart foundation has a lot of easily accessible information https://www.bhf.org.uk/

I know it is pointless for me to say try not to worry, you are a parent you will worry. My advice is to have a look at the BHF with your daughter. Together compile a list of questions to ask at her appointment.

Step away from Dr Google.

Thanks for such an informative reply.
I am going to ring up tomorrow with some questions. The only thing that’s helped her mental health lately is working out and a lot of sites are saying to avoid weight lifting etc which she loves.
Her ecg was thankfully ok. A few things were higher than average but within a normal limit.
Im hoping the report from the cardiologist doesn’t take too long to come through.