Cardiac Vascular Nursing Certification Practice Exam 2026 – Your All-in-One Guide to Exam Success!

Aortic regurgitation occurs when the aortic valve fails to close properly, allowing blood to flow backward from the aorta into the left ventricle during diastole. One of the primary causes of aortic regurgitation is rheumatic heart disease, which is a condition that can develop after a streptococcal throat infection. This disease can lead to inflammation and damage of the heart valves, including the aortic valve, thus resulting in regurgitation.

Rheumatic heart disease causes scarring and deformities in the valve structure due to the inflammatory response, which can lead to incomplete closure of the aortic valve. Thus, understanding the history of rheumatic fever in a patient can help healthcare providers identify the likelihood of developing aortic regurgitation.

While conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and atrial fibrillation can impact cardiovascular health and may contribute to heart issues over time, they are not direct primary causes of aortic regurgitation like rheumatic heart disease is. Hypertension can contribute to changes in the heart and vessels, diabetes can lead to other cardiovascular complications, and atrial fibrillation primarily affects rhythm rather than directly causing valvular dysfunction. Therefore, the association between rheumatic heart disease and aortic