METHYSERGIDE, an anti-serotonin agent used for prophylaxis of migraine headaches, produces mitral and aortic valvular fibrosis resulting in valvular dysfunction. '-7 This study reports a unique case both of hemodynamically significant right-sided valvular disease and of intramyocardial fibrosis (diagnosed by transvenous cardiac biopsy) resulting from methysergide administration. Our patient rep...

Abstract Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) and valvular heart disease (VHD) are frequently encountered in clinical practice, often coexist, especially the elderly population. Both conditions associated with increased mortality morbidity. Recent guidelines suggest careful evaluation of patients AF VHD due to puzzling nature their coexistence. Purpose To evaluate prognostic effect significant (...

Aortic stenosis (AS) is now the most common indication for valve replacement in Europe and North America, with an ever increasing disease prevalence due to the ageing population (Iung B, Baron G, Butchart EG, Delahaye F, Gohlke-Bärwolf C, Levang AW, Tornos P, Vanoverschelde JL, Vermeer F, Boersma E, Ravaud P, Vahanian A. A prospective survey of patients with valvular heart disease in Europe: th...

A 76-year-old male patient with arterial hypertension and moderate aortic stenosis presents with the first episode of atrial fibrillation (AF). His CHA2DS2-VASC score is 3. Can we use the CHA2DS2VASC score that has been developed in patients with non-valvular AF for assessment of his need for long-term oral anticoagulation? Also, since the underlying trials were done in patients with nonvalvula...

Improvements in health care and treatment of diseases have led to an increase in life expectancy in developed countries. However, this achievement has also inadvertently increased the prevalence of chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, adding to the growing burden of health care cost globally. Unfortunately, this trend is expected to escalate in the foreseeable future. Cardiovascula...

The initial association between the development of valvular heart disease and drugs stems from observations made during the use of methysergide and ergotamine for migraine prophylaxis in the 1960s. Since then, the appetite suppressants fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine, the dopamine agonists pergolide and cabergoline, and more recently, the recreational drug ecstasy (3,4 methylenedioxymethamphet...

PURPOSE Carcinoid syndrome, characterized by flushing, diarrhea, and valvular heart disease, can occur following carcinoid tumor metastasis to the liver and systemic release of bioactive hormones into the systemic circulation. Treatment of this devastating disease is hampered by the lack of an in vivo model that recapitulates the clinical syndrome. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Here, we have injected B...

Valvular heart disease is a multifactorial disorder. Twin studies may help to better understand both genetic and environmental determinants contributing to the development of valve lesions. We describe the case of a 45-year-old female asymptomatic triplet with multiple valvular heart lesions, with a somewhat different pattern between the dizygotic twin pairs compared with the monozygotic twin p...

BACKGROUND Unlike the Western world, valvular disease ranks among the major cardiovascular afflictions in Africa. Acute rheumatic fever and chronic rheumatic valvular disease in their most virulent form are still commonly encountered and impose a huge burden on limited healthcare resources. METHODS AND RESULTS We performed a systematic review of the literature with PubMed using rheumatic feve...

Background—Unlike the Western world, valvular disease ranks among the major cardiovascular afflictions in Africa. Acute rheumatic fever and chronic rheumatic valvular disease in their most virulent form are still commonly encountered and impose a huge burden on limited healthcare resources. Methods and Results—We performed a systematic review of the literature with PubMed using rheumatic fever,...