Mitral Valve Prolapse

Question: Can Mitral Valve Prolapse by aggravated by medication? My doctor suspects that I have mitral valve prolapse, after listening to my heart when I went in for chest pain last week. I've had this happen several times in my life, and it was always triggered by taking a medication. I go in for an ultrasound on my heart next Wednesday. I can't find anywhere that says that MVP is aggravated by medication though. Has anyone else heard of that?

Answer: You'll be happy to know that the vast majority of people who have mitral valve prolapse suffer no symptoms and have no change in their life expectancy or likelihood of developing valvular dysfunction later in life. It is a common physicial finding at 2-5% of the entire population. That said, I can not say I have ever met a person with MVP who is not on the scale of things, an anxious individual. With anxiety comes a host of other issues including heart palpations, chest pain, shortness of breath and other physical manifestations. Unfortunately these people often attribute the other symptoms they have experienced to the MVP...and of course there is a certain logic there. Regardless, MVP remains without symptoms, treatment, complications, or need for antibiotics before dental procedures. Therefore it is an interesting physical finding, like noticing you have blue eyes. As for a medication triggering heart palpations...yes, there are certain medications that can do such things. Usually they are stimulating medications, like cold medications or asthma medications as examples. The heart palpations are harmless, though annoying. If you do not care for the side effects, I would recommend you simply avoid the medications. Good luck. I hope this was helpful.

Question: Is it safe for someone with a mitral valve prolapse to have children? I have mitral valve prolapse (which means that my mitral valve doesn't close properly). I am not ready to have children yet. I was just wanting some information before I have kids.

Answer: The mitral valve is located in the heart. It means you have a broken heart. You can't love, and you need to find love to have children. Sorry, sister, you're out of luck. Just playing with you. Take care of your heart, and your doctor will tell you if you can handle the strain on the heart from pregnancy. It may be unlikely, but you can always adopt.

Question: What is remedy for Mitral valve prolapse? Report of 2D Echo of my son aged 20 shows Mitral valve prolapse. No rheumatic afflication. LVEF 60%. No pulmonory hypertension. No effusion/clot. Test was done on 14-10-06. Actually he has pain in knees and lower back since 8 year. After several tests it was diagnosed as Ankylosing Spondylitis two years back. Please help us in diagnosis and suggest the treatment.

Answer: Ankylosing spondylitis is a form of chronic inflammation of the spine and the sacroiliac joints. The sacroiliac joints are located in the low back where the sacrum (the bone directly above the tailbone) meets the iliac bones (bones on either side of the upper buttocks). Chronic inflammation in these areas causes pain and stiffness in and around the spine. Over time, chronic spinal inflammation (spondylitis) can lead to a complete cementing together (fusion) of the vertebrae, a process referred to as ankylosis. Ankylosis leads to loss of mobility of the spine. Ankylosing spondylitis is also a systemic rheumatic disease, meaning it can affect other tissues throughout the body. Accordingly, it can cause inflammation in or injury to other joints away from the spine, as well as other organs, such as the eyes, heart, lungs, and kidneys. Ankylosing spondylitis shares many features with several other arthritis conditions, such as psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, and arthritis associated with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Each of these arthritic conditions can cause disease and inflammation in the spine, other joints, eyes, skin, mouth, and various organs. In view of their similarities and tendency to cause inflammation of the spine, these conditions are collectively referred to as "spondyloarthropathies." For more information, please read the following articles; Psoriatic Arthritis, Reactive Arthritis, Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Ankylosing spondylitis is 2-3 times more common in males than in females. In women, joints away from the spine are more frequently affected than in men. Ankylosing spondylitis affects all age groups, including children. The most common age of onset of symptoms is in the second and third decades of life. What causes ankylosing spondylitis? The tendency to develop ankylosing spondylitis is believed to be genetically inherited, and the majority (nearly 90%) of patients with ankylosing spondylitis are born with the HLA-B27 gene. Blood tests have been developed to detect the HLA-B27 gene marker, and have furthered our understanding of the relationship between HLA-B27 and ankylosing spondylitis. The HLA-B27 gene appears only to increase the tendency of developing ankylosing spondylitis, while some additional factor(s), perhaps environmental, are necessary for the disease to appear or become expressed. For example, while 7% of the United States population have the HLA-B27 gene, only 1% of the population actually have the disease ankylosing spondylitis. In Northern Scandinavia (Lapland), 1.8% of the population have ankylosing spondylitis while 24% of the general population have the HLA-B27 gene. Even among HLA-B27 positive individuals, the risk of developing ankylosing spondylitis appears to be further related to heredity. In HLA-B27 positive individuals who have relatives with the disease, their risk of developing ankylosing spondylitis is 12% (6 times greater than for those whose relatives do not have ankylosing spondylitis). Ankylosing spondylitis is a form of chronic inflammation of the spine and the sacroiliac joints. The sacroiliac joints are located in the low back where the sacrum (the bone directly above the tailbone) meets the iliac bones (bones on either side of the upper buttocks). Chronic inflammation in these areas causes pain and stiffness in and around the spine. Over time, chronic spinal inflammation (spondylitis) can lead to a complete cementing together (fusion) of the vertebrae, a process referred to as ankylosis. Ankylosis leads to loss of mobility of the spine. Ankylosing spondylitis is also a systemic rheumatic disease, meaning it can affect other tissues throughout the body. Accordingly, it can cause inflammation in or injury to other joints away from the spine, as well as other organs, such as the eyes, heart, lungs, and kidneys. Ankylosing spondylitis shares many features with several other arthritis conditions, such as psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, and arthritis associated with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Each of these arthritic conditions can cause disease and inflammation in the spine, other joints, eyes, skin, mouth, and various organs. In view of their similarities and tendency to cause inflammation of the spine, these conditions are collectively referred to as "spondyloarthropathies." For more information, please read the following articles; Psoriatic Arthritis, Reactive Arthritis, Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Ankylosing spondylitis is 2-3 times more common in males than in females. In women, joints away from the spine are more frequently affected than in men. Ankylosing spondylitis affects all age groups, including children. The most common age of onset of symptoms is in the second and third decades of life. What causes ankylosing spondylitis? The tendency to develop ankylosing spondylitis is believed to be genetically inherited, and the majority (nearly 90%) of patients with ankylosing spondylitis are born with the HLA-B27 gene. Blood tests have been developed to detect the HLA-B27 gene marker, and have furthered our understanding of the relationship between HLA-B27 and ankylosing spondylitis. The HLA-B27 gene appears only to increase the tendency of developing ankylosing spondylitis, while some additional factor(s), perhaps environmental, are necessary for the disease to appear or become expressed. For example, while 7% of the United States population have the HLA-B27 gene, only 1% of the population actually have the disease ankylosing spondylitis. In Northern Scandinavia (Lapland), 1.8% of the population have ankylosing spondylitis while 24% of the general population have the HLA-B27 gene. Even among HLA-B27 positive individuals, the risk of developing ankylosing spondylitis appears to be further related to heredity. In HLA-B27 positive individuals who have relatives with the disease, their risk of developing ankylosing spondylitis is 12% (6 times greater than for those whose relatives do not have ankylosing spondylitis). Ankylosing spondylitis is a form of chronic inflammation of the spine and the sacroiliac joints. The sacroiliac joints are located in the low back where the sacrum (the bone directly above the tailbone) meets the iliac bones (bones on either side of the upper buttocks). Chronic inflammation in these areas causes pain and stiffness in and around the spine. Over time, chronic spinal inflammation (spondylitis) can lead to a complete cementing together (fusion) of the vertebrae, a process referred to as ankylosis. Ankylosis leads to loss of mobility of the spine. Ankylosing spondylitis is also a systemic rheumatic disease, meaning it can affect other tissues throughout the body. Accordingly, it can cause inflammation in or injury to other joints away from the spine, as well as other organs, such as the eyes, heart, lungs, and kidneys. Ankylosing spondylitis shares many features with several other arthritis conditions, such as psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, and arthritis associated with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Each of these arthritic conditions can cause disease and inflammation in the spine, other joints, eyes, skin, mouth, and various organs. In view of their similarities and tendency to cause inflammation of the spine, these conditions are collectively referred to as "spondyloarthropathies." For more information, please read the following articles; Psoriatic Arthritis, Reactive Arthritis, Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Ankylosing spondylitis is 2-3 times more common in males than in females. In women, joints away from the spine are more frequently affected than in men. Ankylosing spondylitis affects all age groups, including children. The most common age of onset of symptoms is in the second and third decades of life. What causes ankylosing spondylitis? The tendency to develop ankylosing spondylitis is believed to be genetically inherited, and the majority (nearly 90%) of patients with ankylosing spondylitis are born with the HLA-B27 gene. Blood tests have been developed to detect the HLA-B27 gene marker, and have furthered our understanding of the relationship between HLA-B27 and ankylosing spondylitis. The HLA-B27 gene appears only to increase the tendency of developing ankylosing spondylitis, while some additional factor(s), perhaps environmental, are necessary for the disease to appear or become expressed. For example, while 7% of the United States population have the HLA-B27 gene, only 1% of the population actually have the disease ankylosing spondylitis. In Northern Scandinavia (Lapland), 1.8% of the population have ankylosing spondylitis while 24% of the general population have the HLA-B27 gene. Even among HLA-B27 positive individuals, the risk of developing ankylosing spondylitis appears to be further related to heredity. In HLA-B27 positive individuals who have relatives with the disease, their risk of developing ankylosing spondylitis is 12% (6 times greater than for those whose relatives do not have ankylosing spondylitis). The mitral valve (also known as the bicuspid valve or left atrioventricular valve), is a dual flap (bi = 2) valve in the heart that lies between the left atrium (LA) and the left ventricle (LV). In Latin, the term mitral means shaped like a miter, or bishop's cap. The mitral valve and the tricuspid valve are known collectively as the atrioventricular valves because they lie between the atria and the ventricles of the heart and control flow. A normally functioning mitral valve opens to pressure from the superior surface of the valve, allowing blood to flow into the left ventricle during left atria systole (contraction), and closes at the end of atrial contraction to prevent blood from back flowing into the atria during left ventricle systole. In a normal cardiac cycle, the atria contracts first, filling the ventricle. At the end of ventricular diastole, the bicuspid valve shuts, and prevents backflow as the ventricle begins its systolic phase. Backflow may occur if the patient suffers from mitral valve prolapse, causing an audible "murmur" during auscultation. [edit] Anatomy The mitral valve has two cusps/leaflets (the anteromedial leaflet and the posterolateral leaflet) which guards the opening. The opening is surrounded by a fibrous ring known as the mitral valve annulus. (The orientation of the two leaflets were once thought to resemble a bishop's miter, which is where the valve receives its name.[1]) The anterior cusp protects approximately two-thirds of the valve (imagine a crescent moon within the circle, where the crescent represents the posterior cusp). These valve leaflets are prevented from prolapsing into the left atrium by the action of tendons attached to the posterior surface of the valve, chordae tendinae. The inelastic chordae tendineae are attached at one end to the papillary muscles and the other to the valve cusps. Papillary muscles are finger like projections from the wall of the left ventricle. Chordae tendinae from each muscle are attached to both leaflets of the mitral valve. Thus when the ventricle contracts, the intraventricular pressure forces the valve to close, while the tendons prevent the valve from opening in the wrong direction. [edit] Normal physiology During left ventricular diastole, after the pressure drops in the left ventricle due to relaxation of the ventricular myocardium, the mitral valve opens, and blood travels from the left atrium to the left ventricle. About 70-80% of the blood that travels across the mitral valve occurs during the early filling phase of the left ventricle. This early filling phase is due to active relaxation of the ventricular myocardium, causing a pressure gradient that allows a rapid flow of blood from the left atrium, across the mitral valve. This early filling across the mitral valve is seen on doppler echocardiography of the mitral valve as the E wave. After the E wave, there is a period of slow filling of the ventricle. Left atrial contraction (left atrial systole) (during left ventricular diastole) causes added blood to flow across the mitral valve immediately before left ventricular systole. This late flow across the open mitral valve is seen on doppler echocardiography of the mitral valve as the A wave. The late filling of the LV contributes about 20% to the volume in the left ventricle prior to ventricular systole, and is known as the atrial kick.

Question: Is it safe to get a tattoo if you have Mitral Valve Prolapse? My mom wants to get her first tattoo, but she has a heart condition called Mitral Valve Prolapse. It's sort of like a really bad heart murmer. At one time, a doctor told her that she should have penicillin before having anything done (like dental work). Would that apply to having a tattoo?

Answer: Absolutely, she needs to get antibiotics from her family Dr. because she is at a very high risk to develop endocarditus, which is an infection involving her heart. She must speak with her family Dr. first.!!

Question: Should I be followed by a cardiologist for my mitral valve prolapse and regurgitation? I was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse (with regurgitation) almost 2 years ago. My primary care doctor said that there is not any need for seeing a cardiologist or having repeat echocardiograms. Do you have this condition? If so, do you see a cardiologist? And have you had any repeat echos?

Answer: i would expect you to have had a cardiology assessment.

Question: What makes your heart hurt when you have mitral valve prolapse? I have mitral valve prolapse and I don't get why only some people get chest pains? and what causes people to get chest pains with M.V.P (mitral valve prolapse), like me. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!

Answer: With MVP, your mitral valve is smaller due to extra tissue. This makes it a little bit harder for blood pumping through the valve to get through, which can often times cause an "aching" pain. As far as I've seen, this is not life-threatening and the pain can be treated with over-the-counter painkillers. Imagine you "kink" your garden hose while it is running. The water can't get through the hose and the pressure builds up. When you "unkink" the hose, the water flows freely. Your mitral valve has a permanent partial "kink" or blockage. The blood behind that partial kink can get blocked up and cause pressure in your chest. Be sure to get regular check-ups with your doctor, just to be sure your MVP is stable. Your doctor will also be able to suggest some pain remedies.

Question: I have anxiety, is it definite that I have mitral valve prolapse? I have been recently diagnosed with anxiety/panic disorder. I read somewhere that I most likely have mitral valve prolapse. My aunt and uncle have this, but when my doctor checked my heart he did not hear anything. Should I get a second opinion? Does anyone have MVP that have any good/bad advice or comments?

Answer: No, anxiety and heart conditions like MVP are totally unrelated. Lots of people have one without the other.

Question: Is Whey Appeton drink bad for those with mitral valve prolapse? I have a mitral valve prolapse since I was 11 years old. I am now 29. I am thin since i was a kid and ive been wanting to gain some weight. I weigh 88lbs only as of today. Somebody advised me to drink Appeton but im not sure if it is ok considering my health condition.

Answer: ive heard that it can be bad

Question: How common is inability to take a deep breath in mitral valve prolapse and what treatments are there? I am 35 and have mitral valve prolapse, and occasionally have some shortness of breath that goes away in a day or so. I am currently on atenolol 25 mg daily. This bout is lasting a week +. It is driving me crazy trying every minute or so to get a deep breath, and I begin to panic which makes it worse. I have no problems at night as far as sleeping, so relaxing seems to help. Is this related to MVP, or what is going on here? I went to my cardiologist and he set up a Thallium stress test and echocardiogram which I had last Friday. (It is my 3rd in 10 years) I feel a little better today as far as breathing, but the more I think about it, the worse it gets. (IN addition, I am physically active, however this has put a halt on my cardio activities this week)I was exercizing 5-6 days a week with cardio for 30 minutes everyday and weight training every other day. Could I have brought this on by overdoing it?

Answer: i have MVP and i have experienced the same short breath...it`s very terrible and annoying...my doctor believes it`s because of stress and it`s for more than a year which i dont have shortness of breathe...i used to take Prapronolol but now i dont take any medicine and every thing is ok some times that i have stress it comes back...also i have some chest pains too...

Question: Anyone have ehlers danlos and mitral valve prolapse? I have been recently diagnosed with ehlers danlos, hypermobility type and mitral valve prolapse. Any other experiences or related problems welcome.

Answer: My father was diagnosed with EDS Type III (I believe that is the classic type) but I have not been diagnosed as I don't really have any symptoms other than my joints ache frequently, like with arthritis. I was however diagnosed with mvp in January.I asked my cardiologist about this and he pretty much just told me that how I am being treated right now for the mvp is how he would treat if I had EDS also. He said that he will just treat me from now on as if I do have EDS. I am currently on metoprolol (beta blocker) for my tachacardia and mvp. Before they found my mvp, some docs kept saying I was having anxiety attacks which I knew at the time was not the case. If I were you, I would make sure I saw a cardiologist who knows something about EDS also. Good luck.

Question: Am i too young to have mitral valve prolapse? Could i be diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse at 29? i have been having heart palpitations almost daily now for a couple weeks. I'm also taking paroxetine HCL 30 mg. could this be causing the palpitations. Wow thanks for all the answers so fast. I have an appt. with a cardiologist coming up i am just scared. I hope i don't have the mitral valve prolapse. i wasn't diagnosed with it yet, i was just seeing if it was a possibility.

Answer: no you are not too young. try seeing a docter for a ct scan or ekg

Question: Does anyone have mitral valve prolapse and had a baby? I have mitral valve prolapse so even when i go to the dentist i have to take antibiotics. My question is do i need antibiotics when i give birth to my baby? i am 37 weeks and baby is breech so if she does not turn i have to have a c section. I am a little concerned about my heart in all this. And if i have a vaginal birth will it put a lot of strain on my heart?

Answer: I have MVP and had a C section. You will probably just get extra antibiotics. I was not on a heart monitor at any time.

Question: Mitral Valve Prolapse and Good blood pressure? based on my symptoms in my previous question, people say i may have mitral valve prolapse, but i only have my symptoms of slightly rapid heartbeat and slightly rapid breathing occasionally, and im always told i have "excellent" blood pressure. does that still seem like i have mitral valve prolapse??? my parents say the symtpoms would be more frequent.

Answer: If you are in good health generally, you can be completely asymptomatic. That doesn't mean it's not there. The only way to be sure is to see your cardiologist and get tested. It may not bother you now, but later, could get worse and much more significant.

Question: breast augmentation with mitral valve prolapse? has anyone gotten breast implants that has mitral valve prolapse? also, how long are you sore for afterwards, and what is the pain level?

Answer: Do you mean that the person has a mitral valve prolapse condition, and concomitantly opted for breast augmentation? Was a mitral valve replacement also done? The questions raises many more for any meaningful answer to be given. As to the soreness and pain of the augmentation it is unrelated to the prolapse, unless the strain led to that condition being aggravated.

Question: Do you (or someone you know) have mitral valve prolapse? I am 20 years old and my doctor thinks there is a slight chance that I have mitral valve prolapse. I know you can easily look up the signs/symptoms of this on a medical website (and I have), but I'm asking more about individual symptoms that maybe wouldn't automatically be thought of as related to this condition. If you suffer from this, what were your signs/symptoms before being officially diagnosed? Also, are you taking any medications for it, or getting any treatments? Thanks..

Answer: I did get diagnosed with this condition while a young woman, and during severe asthmatic episodes, the doctor (my primary care physician at the time) diagnosed MVP. Most of the time there are no symptoms -- one of the things that I have to deal with is to make sure that I pre-medicate prior to routine dental work ... otherwise, it is my normal Asthma Medications.

Question: Can anyone tell me how serious mitral valve prolapse is? with mild regurgitation? I had an echo done due to heart palpitations and I found out I have mitral valve prolapse with mild regurgitation . I am 36 years old. Is this serious? What precautions should I follow? Will I need a new valve? Please help I am so scared. I have tried numerous times to ask my doctor but he blows me off and says not to worry. He is the only board certified md in my rural area.

Answer: I was also diagnosed with MVP at the same age. You need to see a Cardiologist to get your questions answered better with your own situation. I ended up with severe regurgitation within a short period of time after my mild regurge was found (months only), which is not the common. Yours may stay mild for a long time, but make sure to keep an eye on it. Keep this in mind: you can get the valve REPAIRED vs. Replacement if it is caught in time and no permanent damage done to the pathway from how the blood is ejected out through the valve. Don't let the doctors tell you to wait until you can only have it replaced. I had a repair done 2yrs ago and couldn't be happier (I actually went out-of-state to have the procedure done). Please do some research on the web regarding this if you ever get to that point. If you are not symptomatic at this point, you should be fine with the mild regurg. The only precaution I was given before my surgery, was to take an antibiotic before any dental work was done or any surgeries. Live your life, do things as normal, just pay attention to when things just don't feel right or you become symptomatic and see your doctor (one that will listen). Hopefully you can find a good cardiologist, it took me 3 tries before I found the one I have now. Good Luck.