Facts roughly mitral-valve prolapse

Table of Contents

Introduction What Is Mitral-Valve Prolapse? Diagnosis Symptoms Treatment Preventing Complications Clinical Significance

The mitral valve is the heart valve between the left atrium and gone ventricle. It has two flaps, call leaflets or cusps, which open and close when the heart contracts (beats) and rests.

Mitral-valve prolapse (MVP) is frequently diagnosed within healthy associates and is, for the most part, safe. Most people suffer no symptoms at adjectives. New estimates are that about 2 percent of the fully fledged population has the condition. MVP is also call floppy valve syndrome, Barlow's or Reid-Barlow's syndrome, balloon mitral valve, midsystolic-click-late systolic murmur syndrome, or click murmur syndrome. MVP can be present from birth or develop at any age and occur equally in both men and women. MVP is one of the most frequently made cardiac diagnoses within the United States.

What Is Mitral-Valve Prolapse?

The heart's valves work to prolong the flow of blood in one direction, ensure proper circulation. The mitral valve controls the flow of blood into the not here ventricle. Normally, when the left ventricle contracts, the mitral spigot closes and blood flows out of the heart through the aortic valve and into the aorta to start its visit to all other parts of the body.

In MVP, the shape or dimensions of the leaflets of the stopcock are not ideal; they may be too sizeable and fail to close properly or they balloon out, hence the possession "prolapse." When the valve leaflets flap, a clicking nouns may be heard. Sometimes the prolapsing of the mitral tap allows a slight flow of blood back into the gone atrium. This is called "mitral regurgitation," and may wreak a sound call a murmur. Some people beside MVP have both a click and a murmur and some enjoy only a click. Many enjoy no unusual heart sounds at all; those who do may hold clicks and murmurs that come and go.

Diagnosis

Sometimes, once a physician have heard the all your own sounds of MVP through a stethoscope, other tests may be ordered. Echocardiography is a adjectives and painless test that uses amazingly high frequency nouns waves. The nouns waves travel through the layer of the skin and muscle to produce an image of the heart that can be see on a screen. In this sense, it is similar to radar or sonar imaging.

Initially, "M-mode" echocardiography be used. This technology provides a single-plane view of the mitral stopcock and often resulted surrounded by overdiagnosis of MVP in the 1970s and 1980s. A study from National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) Framingham Heart Study, reported in the July 1, 1999 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, indicated that MVP is smaller amount common and smaller quantity serious than previously thought.

The investigators used standard echocardiography equipment along with contemporary, more accurate criteria that minimize false positive and false negative diagnoses. Whereas closer estimates put the number of people next to MVP at 5 to 35 percent of the population, the new NHLBI study showed the number is closer to 2 percent. In insert, MVP has long be thought to be more prevalent in women than men but the topical study reported the condition appears with similar frequency contained by both men and women.

In light of this up to date information, NHLBI suggests that people who be diagnosed with MVP since the 1970s might discuss their current condition status with their strength care provider to determine if a latest diagnostic test is reasonable.

Symptoms

The vast majority of society with MVP enjoy no discomfort at all. Most are surprised to swot up that their heart is functioning in any way curiously. Some individuals report mild and common symptoms such as shortness of breath, dizziness, and any "skipping" or "racing" of the heart. More seldom, chest pain is reported. However, these are symptoms that may or may not be related to the MVP.

Treatment

In most cases, no treatment is needed. For a small proportion of individuals next to MVP, beta-blockers or other drugs are used to control specific symptoms and some blood pressure lowering drugs may be used to treat mitral regurgitation. Serious problems are rare, can effortlessly be diagnosed and, if necessary, treated surgically.

Preventing Complications

The overwhelming majority of culture with MVP are free of symptoms and never develop any distinguished problems. However, it is important to make out that in some cases mitral regurgitation, the flow of blood wager on into the left atrium, can go down. Where mitral regurgitation has be diagnosed, there is an increased risk of acquire bacterial endocarditis, an infection in the lining of the heart. To prevent bacterial endocarditis abundant physicians and dentists prescribe antibiotics before in no doubt surgical or dental procedures. Patients with significant mitral regurgitation should be followed more closely by their physician so that medical psychiatric help and, if necessary, surgery, can be pursued at the appropriate time.

Clinical Significance

As stated, ancestors with MVP hold no symptoms and never develop any notable problems. Whether or not here is any discomfort, however, patients should notify their health contemplation providers of the existence of MVP. This will allow decisions and recommendation to be made about the advisability of using antibiotics to protect against bacterial endocarditis.