Mitral Valve Prolapse: Symptoms, Causes & Mitral Regurgitation

The mitral valve is the dual flat valve in the heart that lies between the left atrium and the left ventricle. Our heart has two atriums and two ventricles with one on each side of the heart. Mitral valves are also called as artrioventricular valves as they lie between the atria and the ventricles of the heart and control the flow of blood. Mitral valve has two flaps which opens and close together like a pair of swinging doors.

What is Mitral Valve Prolapse?

In the doctor’s language, ‘Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP) is the valvular heart disease characterized by the displacement of an abnormally thickened mitral valve leaflet into the left atrium during systole (the phase of cardiac cycle)’.

Mitral valve Prolapse is a condition in which one of the heart’s valve i.e. mitral valve doesn’t walk properly because the mitral valve flaps are floppy or doesn’t close tightly. When the flaps of the mitral valve are not closed correctly, blood leaks back into the left atriums. Due to floppy flaps and wrong shaped flaps, the blood leaks and it also causes a sound which a doctor can make out or hear with the help of stethoscope.

Symptoms, Causes & Regurgitation: Mitral Valve Prolapse

Usually the mitral valve Prolapse disorder occurs during the childhood itself but many kids with Mitral valve Prolapse disorder are having no symptoms. The symptoms are noticed after getting adult. Some common symptoms of Mitral Valve Prolapse are: feeling light headed, feeling anxious, feeling dizzy, getting tired soon, getting out of breath after physical exercise, regular chest pain, having fainting episodes etc. the person with Mitral Valve Prolapse disorders also feel the chest pain while crying more or even due to continuous speaking.

Mitral Valve disorder is not a serious disorder or heart disease. More often people even do not realize during their life that they are having the Mitral valve Prolapse disorder. The mitral valve Prolapse disorder can be examined and caught by the doctor by listening to the heart beats through stethoscope and also through various cardiac tests like electrocardiogram test and the echocardiogram test.

In the severe and serious cases of Mitral Valve Prolapse, the complications and causes are like mitral regurgitation, infective endocarditic, congestive heart failure and in some of the following circumstances it also causes cardiac arrest which usually ends or sums up with sudden death. Mitral Valve Prolapse can lead to some infections due to improper flaps, therefore use of antibiotics seen by the doctors for MVP patients.

Some recent studies have shown and proved that to keep your heart healthy it is necessary to keep your teeth healthy and safe without any infection. Therefore keep your teeth clean as due to any bacteria that lives in your mouth can cause infection by getting into your bloodstream. So keep your teeth healthy for a safe heart blood pumping. Mitral Valve Prolapse patients have no restrictions on any type of physical work or exercise and they can live normally like other persons.