Epidemiology
Some degree of valvular regurgitation is a relatively common incidental finding in colour Doppler imaging. In fact, two-dimensional echocardiography has demonstrated that 50% to 60% of asymptomatic young adults exhibit mild tricuspid regurgitation.[1] A smaller proportion, up to 15%, have moderate tricuspid regurgitation. It is most often found secondary to, or in association with, left-sided cardiac pathology in the form of advanced mitral, aortic, or left ventricular myocardial disorders. In developed countries, the most commonly associated conditions include ischaemic or degenerative mitral regurgitation; however, in developing countries, the association is with rheumatic heart disease. Rarely does TR present as an isolated disease process.
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