Heart valve disorders
Mitral valve prolapse
What is mitral valve prolapse?
First, a little information about your mitral valve and what it does:
Your mitral valve lies between your left atrium and your left ventricle. It has two leaflets, or flaps, that open to allow re-oxygenated blood to flow from your atrium into your ventricle. The leaflets close again as your ventricle contracts to push the blood into your aorta and out to the rest of your body.
The closing of your mitral valve prevents blood from flowing back into your atrium when your ventricle contracts.
Mitral valve prolapse
For more information about what happens when your heart beats, take a look at How your heart pumps.
If you have mitral valve prolapse, that means that one or both of your mitral valve’s leaflets are bulging back into your left atrium when your ventricle contracts.
Most people with mitral valve prolapse experience no real symptoms and may never even know they have it.
However, prolapse of the valve leaflets usually causes at least some degree of mitral valve regurgitation, because the prolapsing leaflets tend to leak.
Mild regurgitation is usually unproblematic, but if it’s severe, it can prevent your heart from pumping efficiently, forcing it to work harder than it should and putting you at risk of developing left heart failure.
Women are approximately twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse – no one seems to know why – and it is quite a common disorder.
While it can develop at any age, most cases are thought to be congenital.
What causes mitral valve prolapse?
In most cases of mitral valve prolapse there’s no known cause. It may often be an inherited disorder, and it does seem to run in families.
In addition to congenital defects, there are a number of diseases and disorders that are associated with mitral valve prolapse. These include Graves’ disease, muscular dystrophy, and scoliosis.
Finally, people who have abnormal cartilage (for example, a connective tissue disease like Marfan syndrome) are at higher risk of developing mitral valve prolapse.
Causes of mitral valve prolapse include:
- A congenital defect (this is the most common cause)
- Connective tissue disease (for example, Marfan syndrome)
- Valve damage as a result of a heart attack or infection
- Graves’ disease (a thyroid disorder), skeletal problems like scoliosis, and muscular dystrophy are all associated with an elevated risk of mitral valve prolapse
What are the symptoms of mitral valve prolapse?
Most people with mitral valve prolapse have no symptoms, but if your condition progresses and causes mitral valve regurgitation, and if the regurgitation is significant, you will experience symptoms and will need to consult with your doctor.
If you have mitral valve prolapse and you are experiencing symptoms, they may include:
- Chest pain: This may be worrying, but it’s not associated with an increased risk of heart attack or other heart problems
- Unusual slenderness: People with mitral valve prolapse are often very slim; no one knows why.
If you go on to develop mitral regurgitation, you may experience the following common symptoms and you should immediately seek medical advice:
- Shortness of breath when you exercise or lie down
- Palpitations and a fast, fluttering heartbeat
- Chest discomfort or pain
Mitral regurgitation may lead to heart failure, and if that happens your symptoms may also include tiredness and swollen feet and ankles.
How is mitral valve prolapse treated?
Most people who have mitral valve prolapse don’t require any treatment at all, but if you develop mitral valve regurgitation as a result of your prolapse, you may need treatment.
Take a look at our mitral valve regurgitation section if you would like to know more about mitral valve regurgitation and how it is treated.
What are the aims of treatment?
Unless you develop problematic mitral valve regurgitation as a result of your mitral valve prolapse, you will not need any treatment at all.