Currently the most common valvular disorder in developed nations, Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP) is usually a benign heart valve abnormality with a wide variety of symptoms. MVP is associated with a wide variety of other abnormalities, some of which can be very troubling to the patient. People with MVP often suffer from palpitations, fatigue, shortness of breath, and inexplicable chest pain. When the sympathetic nervous system of the patient is aroused, he or she is often susceptible to severe chest pains and a pounding, racing heartbeat. The symptoms of MVP are often confused with the symptoms of a heart attack, but the disorder is relatively benign.
The problem
The mitral valve is a heart valve which normally functions to regulate the flow of blood between the heart’s left atrium and its left ventricle, ensuring that all the blood flows in the right direction. It is composed of two triangular fibrous membranes, known as “leaflets,” which close off the opening between the atrium and the ventricle when the heart contracts. In people with MVP, one or both of the membranes is too large, and the muscles supporting the membranes may be too long. As a result, the membranes are too loose, and do not fully close off the opening between the left atrium and left ventricle. A physician may detect this abnormality as a slight “click,” heard when the heart contracts.
Risks
There is a very slight increase (about four in one million) in the rate of endocarditis, a potentially life-threatening heart infection, among people with MVP. For most patients, this added risk is very slight. Those most at risk are patients with thickened valve leaflets; and patients with mitral regurgitation, in which blood leaks back through the faulty valve.
