Mitral Valve Prolapse
Mitral valve prolapse is a condition in which the mitral valve, doesn’t work properly. The flaps of the mitral valve are loose and don’t close tightly. Much of the time, mitral valve prolapse will not cause any noticeable problems. Rarely, blood can leak the wrong way through the loose valve, which may cause heart palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain, among other symptoms.
What is Mitral Valve Prolapse?
In mitral valve prolapse, when the left ventricle contracts, one or both flaps of the mitral valve flop or bulge back (prolapse) into the left atrium. If the flaps bulge back far enough, this can prevent the valve from forming a tight seal. As a result, blood may flow backward from the ventricle into the atrium. This backflow of blood is called mitral valve regurgitation.
Backflow doesn’t occur in all cases of mitral valve prolapse. In fact, most people who have Mitral valve prolapse don’t have backflow at all and never experience any symptoms or complications. In these people, even though the mitral valve flaps prolapse, the valve still can form a tight seal.
Mitral Valve Prolapse and Mitral Valve Disease
When backflow does occur from mitral valve prolapse, it can cause symptoms and complications such as shortness of breath, arrhythmias, or chest pain. Arrhythmias are problems that deal with the rate or rhythm of the actual heartbeat. Backflow can also get worse over time. It can lead to changes in the heart’s size and higher pressures in the left atrium and lungs. Backflow can also increase the risk for a heart valve infection.
Rarely, mitral valve prolapse can cause complications such as arrhythmias which are irregular heartbeats, or infective endocarditis. Endocarditis is an infection of the inner lining of the heart chambers and valves. Bacteria that enter the bloodstream can cause the infection.
Who is Affected by Mitral Valve Prolapse?
Mitral valve prolapse was once thought to affect as much as 5 to 15 percent of the population. Now, it is believed that many people who were diagnosed with Mitral valve prolapse in the past didn’t actually have an abnormal mitral valve. They may have had a slight bulging of the valve flaps due to other conditions, such as dehydration or a small heart. Their valves were normal and there was little or no backflow of blood through their valves.
Now, diagnosing mitral valve prolapse is more precise because of a test called echocardiography. This test allows doctors to easily identify true mitral valve prolapse and detect troublesome backflow.
As a result, it’s now believed that less than 3 percent of the population actually has true mitral valve prolapse, and an even smaller percentage has serious complications from it.
Mitral Valve Prolapse Treatment
Most people who have mitral valve prolapse do not experience any symptoms or medical problems and don’t ever need treatment. These people are able to lead normal, active lives and quite possibly may never know they have the condition.
There are various types of medicines that can treat troublesome mitral valve prolapse symptoms and prevent any further complications. However in some cases, people might need surgery to repair or replace their mitral valves. In some cases, people who have mitral valve prolapse need mitral valve surgery to repair their mitral valves.
Note: This information is not a substitute for talking with your doctor.
