Mitral Valve Prolapse

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is terribly common. Studies hold shown that it occurs surrounded by 4 to 8 percent of the population. The American Heart Association has written this booklet so you can better comprehend this condition.

How do my heart and valves work?

Your heart is a pump next to four chambers. Two are wadding chambers (atria) and two are pumping chamber (ventricles).

Blood that's circulated throughout your body enters your heart contained by the right atrium, then pass through your tricuspid valve into your right ventricle. From within the blood is pumped through the pulmonary valve into your lungs, where on earth it releases carbon dioxide and picks up oxygen.

After that the oxygen-replenished blood returns to the heart, fills the gone atrium, then flows through the mitral spout to the left ventricle. Then it's pumped through the aortic spout into the aorta, and on to the rest of the body. Look at the diagram to see where the mitral spigot is located.

How does the Mitral valve work?

The mitral spigot has two flaps or leaflets. They're shaped somewhat similar to a parachute and are attached to the supporting muscles by strings. These strings help the flaps close evenly.

By slit and closing, the mitral valve ensure that the blood flows in purely one direction -- from the left atrium to the disappeared ventricle. When the mitral valve closes, it blocks blood from returning to the moved out atrium when the ventricle pumps. That ensures that the blood go through the aortic valve, into the aorta and on to the rest of the body.

What is mitral spigot prolapse?

In mitral valve prolapse (also call Click-Murmur Syndrome, Barlow's Syndrome, Balloon Mitral Valve and Floppy Valve Syndrome), one or both mitral valve leaflets are enlarged or their supporting strings are too long. As a result, when the heart pumps, the mitral spout flaps don't close evenly. Instead, pan of one or both flaps go farther backward than commonplace into the left atrium. This sometimes allows a small amount of blood to slick backward through the spigot.

Is MVP serious?

In general, the answer is no. It's extremely unusual for mitral valve prolapse to be a serious or life-threatening problem. If any problems develop, they're usually minor. As next to most other heart valve abnormality, antibiotics may be recommended before guaranteed dental and surgical procedures. These will prevent your valve from becoming infected beside bacteria. Ask your doctor if you'll have need of to take antibiotics.

Some individuals with MVP may enjoy abnormal heart rhythms. Usually no treatment is needed for this, although surrounded by some cases medication is required. These rhythms are usually felt as heart palpitations or "skipped beat."

A very few relations with MVP may tire smoothly, have chest twinge or shortness of breath. These symptoms rarely require medication. If you enjoy these symptoms, it doesn't necessarily mean you hold MVP or any form of heart disease. The vast majority of general public with MVP hold few or no symptoms.

What causes MVP?

The exact create of mitral valve prolapse is usually unknown. In most cases no other heart disease is present.

A few other conditions are occasionally associated near MVP. These include atrial septal defect, coronary artery disease, disease of the heart muscle, and disorders cause inflammation of the heart. Most often if these other diseases are present, they would hold been present next to or without mitral stopcock prolapse.

In some cases mitral valve prolapse may be adjectives.

How is MVP diagnosed?

If you have mitral spigot prolapse, your doctor will probably find evidence of it by listening to your heart beside a stethoscope. Your doctor will decide whether medication or special tests are needed.

One tryout that may be done is an echocardiogram. In it ultrasound waves are painlessly bounced sour your heart to give a picture of the heart valve.

It's important to know if you own MVP, because by taking medication you can usually prevent or control occasional problems that might otherwise arise.

It's also important that MVP is not misrepresented as a more serious problem. Occasionally a character having an echocardiogram for other reason will be noted to have a tap that seems slightly prolapsed. Whether this is a true abnormality or a short time ago a variation of everyday remains controversial. No treatment is needed.

How is MVP treated?

The majority of people next to mitral valve prolapse own no symptoms, will have no problems and thus call for no treatment. Those who have leaky or regurgitant prolapsing valve are another story. They'll need antibiotics to prevent their tap from becoming infected during certain surgical or dental procedures that are probable to cause bleeding.

Typically this involves one dose of an antibiotic an hour beforehand the procedure. In addition, prescription may be used in hardly any MVP patients who have chest stomach-ache or abnormal heart rhythms.

Only contained by very sporadic cases is mitral valve prolapse serious or life-threatening. Most family with mitral spout prolapse enjoy busy lives without any restrictions. Still, it's a apt idea to consult your doctor roughly speaking the activity plane that's safest for you. Your doctor should monitor your MVP, but it shouldn't keep you from have a full and active time.