Mitral Valve Prolapse Part 2

What Causes Mitral Valve Prolapse?

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

A few other conditions are occasionally associated with MVP.  These include atrial septal defect, coronary artery disease, disease of the heart muscle, and disorders causing inflammation of the heart.  Most often if these other diseases are present, they would have been present with or without mitral valve prolapse.

In some cases mitral valve prolapse may be inherited.

 

How is MVP Diagnosed?

If you have mitral valve prolapse, your doctor will probably find evidence of it by listening to your heart with a stethoscope.  Your doctor will decide whether medications or special tests are needed.  One test that may be done is an echocardiogram.

It is important to know if you have MVP, because taking medication you can usually prevent or control occasional problems that might otherwise arise.

It is also important that MVP is not misrepresented as a more serious problem.   Occasionally a person having an echocardiogram for other reasons will be noted to have a valve that seems slightly prolapsed.  Whether this is a true abnormality or just a variation of normal remains controversial.  No treatment is needed.

 

How is MVP Treated?

The majority of people with mitral valve prolapse have no symptoms, will have no problems and thus need no treatment.  Those who have leaky or regurgitant prolapsing valves are another story.  They will need antibiotics to prevent their valve from becoming infected during certain surgical or dental procedures that are likely to cause bleeding.

Typically this involves one dose of an antibiotic an hour before the procedure.  In addition, medicine may be used in a small number of MVP patients who have chest pain or abnormal heart rhythms.

Only in very rare cases is mitral valve prolapse serious or life-threatening.  Most people with MVP enjoy active lives without any restrictions.  It is still a good idea to consult your physician about the activity level that is safest for you.  Your doctor should monitor your MVP, but it should not keep you from having a full and active life.