Mitral Valve

The mitral valve is a valve in the heart located between the left atrium and left ventricle. It has two flaps, called cusps, that serve to guard the opening of the left ventricle. Chordae are thin strings that serve to attach the cusps to the ventricle. After the ventricle fills with blood, the cusps close again, preventing blood from flowing back from the ventricle into the atrium.

Not all mitral valves function normally, however. A condition known as Mitral Valve Prolapse, or MVP, occurs when the cusps become enlarged and the chordae are too long. As a result, when the heart is pumping blood, the cusps don't close properly - one of them falls back into the atrium, which causes blood to leak back into the valve. This blood leakage can sometimes lead to a heart murmur. Usually, people affected with mitral valve prolapse won't even know they have it; they will experience no symptoms or real problems for it, and as a result will never need treatment for it. Sometimes, however, the condition becomes so severe that it can lead to heart failure and an abnormal heart rhythm.

Symptoms
While most people who have mitral valve prolapse don't experience symptoms, those who do tend to list fatigue as the most common complaint. Imbalances in the nervous system caused by mitral valve prolapse results in an inadequate supply of blood being delivered to the muscles, resulting in fatigue.

Heart palpitations, or fast and/or irregular heartbeats, are also common with mitral valve prolapse. In most cases, these types of palpitations are not dangerous and the patient will not need to be treated for them. Sometimes, however, some people develop serious cardiac rhythmic problems and require additional treatment as a result.

Mitral valve prolapse affects the autonomic nervous system, which in turn causes many of the symptoms. Feelings of anxiety, depression, and the onslaught of panic attacks are some such symptoms.

In addition to the symptoms listed above, severe chest pain and migraine headaches are also associated with mitral valve prolapse.

Who Is At Risk
Unlike most heart diseases, mitral valve prolapse affects women more than men and occurs most often in women between the ages of 20 and 40. It is considered hereditary, and doctors and specialists have noticed a correlation between mitral valve prolapse sufferers and those who are tall, thin, and have long arms and fingers. It is the most common abnormality of the heart valves.

How It Is Diagnosed
Most often, an echocardiograph, or an ultrasound taken of the heart, is used to determine the presence of mitral valve prolapse. It is the most thorough way of testing the condition and can not only determine the presence, but also the severity and any damage to surrounding areas of the heart it may have caused.

Mitral valve prolapse can also be detected via a stethoscope, as the heart will make clicking and whooshing noises unique to the condition that can be heard through a stethoscope.

Treatment
For most people who have mitral valve prolapse, treatment is unnecessary; generally, infrequent echocardiographs to check the state of the condition will be all that is needed to monitor it.

Sometimes, however, a condition called mitral regurgitation can result from mitral valve prolapse. When this is the case, a patient can be more susceptible to heart disease and heart failure and must be monitored closely. In other cases, mitral valve prolapse causes an infection of the valves, in which case the doctor will most likely prescribe antibiotics to kill the infection. Antibiotics are also given as a precautionary measure any time bacteria may enter the bloodstream, such as during a dental visit or surgery.