I have a leaky heart valve

[gja1000]

Dear Judy,
Leaky valves can be nothing serious or they can need fixing, but please do not stress about it till you know more.

I'm betting that your mom had rheumatic fever before she developed the valve problem, correct? Rheumatic fever damages the valve, so if she had the fever before she developed valve problems, that is what caused it.

Or if she had a leaky valve and then had rhumatic fever, that is what made her valve problem worse. Almost everyone who has rheumatic fever has valve problems and if they get old enough, they need to be fixed.

So, try not to worry, till you know more!