The mitral valve is the heart valve that separates the upper and lower chambers of the left side of the heart (the left atrium and the left ventricle). It is composed of two leaflets of tissue. When the mitral valve opens, blood flows from the left atrium into the left ventricle. The valve then closes when the left ventricle contracts. When closed properly, blood is prevented from leaking back through the valve. The opening and closing produce the heart sounds that your doctor hears when listening with a stethoscope.

What is Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP)?
MVP is a condition in which the valve does not close properly. The valve balloons back into the left atrium (floppy mitral valve) when the heart pumps, which can produce a clicking sound that your doctor might hear during an examination with a stethoscope. This sometimes allows blood to leak backward. This condition is known as chronic mitral regurgitation. MVP is generally not serious. In older men, the cords around the mitral valve can rupture and cause more severe leakage.

What are the symptoms?
Most people with MVP experience no obvious symptoms. Some symptoms associated with MVP include palpitations (feeling your heart beat), shortness of breath, chest pain, fatigue, and cough. Anxiety and panic attacks have been associated with MVP. MVP can be associated with a sudden speeding up of the heart rate and a “pounding” known as tachycardia. People with MVP sometimes have low energy levels.

What are the causes and risks MVP?
MVP may be inherited. A large portion of patients have systemic features similar to those of patients with inheritable disorders of connective tissue such as pectus excavatum or funnel chest. People with MVP may face a rare increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and sudden death, though this is controversial.

How is MVP diagnosed?
The doctor will perform a thorough physical exam, including palpation (examining bodily organs using touch) and listening to your heart sounds with a stethoscope. The doctor will listen for a click sound during beating, followed by a murmur. An echocardiogram is commonly used to diagnose MVP. This is a painless, noninvasive test that uses sound waves to make a picture of your heart. Other tests your doctor might use include chest X-ray, cardiac catheterization, ECG, MRI, CT scan or nuclear medicine scans.

What are the long-term effects?
MVP can progress with time to the point where mitral regurgitation occurs or worsens. This rarely means that the valve must be replaced. Some people with MVP have a rapid or irregular heart rhythms that they feel as palpitations.

What are the treatments?
The first part of the treatment is education and reassurance. Patients with no symptoms or few symptoms usually require no treatment at all. Severe prolapse and regurgitation can require surgery to replace the faulty valve. If you have irregular heartbeat, the doctor may prescribe medicine to improve this. Antibiotics are sometimes prescribed prior to medical procedures that could introduce infection, like insertion of instruments or tubes into your body or dental procedures. Regular daily exercise and good hydration are often beneficial.