Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP) is a very common heart valve abnormality. MVP describes the heart condition where the mitral valve, located between the left atrium and the left ventricle, fails to fully close. Most people with MVP are unaware they have it and live normal lives.
Without obvious symptoms, MVP is most often diagnosed by a doctor using a stethoscope to listen to a person’s heart, and detecting a “click” sound caused by the faulty valve closure. In some cases there may be a “whoosh” sound following the click, indicating some blood slipping past the valve, back into the atrium. This is called “regurgitation” and is commonly described as a heart “murmur.” If there is enough concern, a definite diagnosis may be made with an “echocardiogram.” In severe cases, surgery may be performed.
While outward symptoms are rare, severe regurgitation can, over time, weaken the heart muscle, causing a condition called “congestive heart failure.” Congestive heart failure does cause outward symptoms such as shortness of breath, dizziness, swelling of legs and feet, and even fainting. Patients with MVP have also complained about mood swings, depression, thoughts about death and other related mental conditions. Both congestive heart failure and these outward symptoms can occur separately, simply by chance, but when found together they are sometimes called ”mitral valve prolapse syndrome.”
MVP can be present from birth or can be caused by infection, age, or heart disease. In the past it was thought that within the general population, 5-20% suffered from this disease, with the majority being females with skeletal deformities, such as scoliosis. With better diagnosis it has been determined that the actual numbers are only 2-3% of the general population.
Earlier studies proposed a hereditary feature, daughters and mothers, but the newer studies, sited above, have mostly removed that relationship.
With the similarity of symptoms of MVP and many other diseases, it is hard to say with certainty that the symptoms’ are the result of MVP. Rather those persons with MVP have suffered illnesses that have triggered, or increased symptoms.
In conclusion, it has been found that most people, even those with MVP, live a normal life with no outward signs of the disease. Even among those who do have MVP, most are able to lead normal lives with only slight changes in diet, lifestyle, medications, and a higher attention to changes in their health.