Is your heart playing tricks on you? Cardiologist warns of the silent danger of tricuspid regurgitation you can't afford to ignore

Tricuspid regurgitation, often overlooked, can lead to serious complications. Learn about its symptoms, causes, and why early diagnosis matters

Heart valve disease is a common yet often underdiagnosed condition in India, particularly among older adults, with many patients remaining symptom-free until the disease progresses. It can result from rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart defects, infective endocarditis, or age-related valve degeneration.

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By Tavishi Dogra

Tavishi Dogra is a Deputy Chief Content Producer, Health & Wellness, at Hindustan Times. She has over 9 years of experience writing about fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, translating medical research and expert insights into practical advice readers can trust.

Career journey and experience
Tavishi began her health journalism journey in 2017, and has since reported for RSTV, Financial Express, Jagran, HT Media Labs and Zee. She joined Hindustan Times to simplify wellness subjects by cutting through jargon.

From decoding health trends and interviewing doctors to testing fitness routines herself, Tavishi always approaches content with one filter: “Will this help someone make a better decision today?”

Subject expertise
With 9+ years tracking India’s health conversations, Tavishi knows the gap between clinical advice and daily life. She knows fads from fundamentals and curates science-backed, expert-recommended solutions.

In fitness, she breaks down bodyweight training, recovery, and posture fixes for desk-bound readers. In nutrition, she translates guidelines into affordable, desi meal tweaks. In mental well-being, she focuses on stigma-free, actionable tools — all backed by research, expert input, and lived context.

Education and professional background
Tavishi holds a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and began her career reporting on public affairs for broadcast. Those early years in policy and TV shaped how she writes today: fast, factual, and human-first.

Editorial Philosophy
I write with one single goal: To simplify health in a world full of noise by finding what’s actually doable, safe, and evidence-based for my readers. I test claims against research and user experiences. When all else fails, I speak to the expert who sees 50 patients a day, not the one with the most followers.

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• While diseases affecting the aortic and mitral valves are relatively well recognized, conditions involving the tricuspid valve, particularly tricuspid regurgitation (TR), have historically received far less attention despite their significant impact on heart function and quality of life.
• Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) often coexists with heart valve disease in which the tricuspid valve fails to close properly, allowing blood to leak backward from the right ventricle into the right atrium. Often called a "leaky tricuspid valve," the condition develops gradually and can go undetected for years because symptoms are often subtle or absent early on.

"As the disease progresses, it puts increasing strain on the heart, causing symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, swelling in the legs or abdomen, and reduced ability to do everyday activities," Dr Sumanto Mukhopadhyay, Senior Consultant and Interventional Cardiologist at Apollo Multispeciality Hospital, Kolkata, tells Health Shots. If left untreated, severe TR can significantly impair quality of life and may progress to complications such as heart failure, liver and kidney dysfunction, and ultimately death.

Why is tricuspid regurgitation often overlooked?

TR is often called a "silent" heart valve disease because its symptoms develop gradually and are frequently mistaken for aging or other common conditions. People often ignore fatigue, breathlessness, reduced stamina, and swelling until they start affecting daily life. Limited awareness and the need for an echocardiogram to confirm the diagnosis further delay detection. By this time, the disease may have already progressed.

TR symptoms are often gradual but should not be ignored. Common signs include poor appetite and progressive weight loss during routine activities, swelling in the legs or ankles, and reduced exercise tolerance. Some patients may also experience a fluttering heartbeat or a pounding sensation in the neck caused by changes in blood flow. When these symptoms persist or worsen, particularly in individuals with existing heart disease or pulmonary hypertension, they should prompt a medical evaluation rather than being dismissed as part of aging.

Causes, diagnosis and treatment

TR occurs when the tricuspid valve between the right atrium and right ventricle doesn't close properly, allowing blood to leak back into the right atrium. It often results from changes in the heart's structure or function rather than a defect in the valve itself.

• Common causes of tricuspid regurgitation include pulmonary hypertension, which can enlarge the right ventricle and prevent the valve from closing properly, as well as left-sided heart disease.
• Other causes include infective endocarditis, a serious infection of the heart valves, rheumatic heart disease, and congenital heart defects present from birth. Less commonly, the condition may result from connective tissue disorders such as Marfan syndrome, chest injury, or rare conditions such as carcinoid disease.
• A clinical examination, supported by echocardiography, allows assessment of valve function, determination of leakage severity, and identification of any underlying cardiac conditions. Early diagnosis is important because TR is progressive and can eventually lead to complications such as atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and liver failure if left untreated.

“Mild cases may require only regular monitoring, but medications such as diuretics can help manage symptoms,” the doctor says. For severe, symptomatic TR, treatment may involve surgical valve repair or replacement, or minimally invasive transcatheter therapies like TriClip or TTVR for patients at high surgical risk. Early diagnosis and timely intervention can relieve symptoms, improve quality of life, and reduce the risk of heart failure progression.

(Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.)