Hopkins 24/7

Back to ABC News

This Thursday at 10/9c

This content requires javascript and flash player version 8.

Johns Hopkins Symptoms and Remedies

Johns Hopkins Medicine

Close Article Browser

Mitral Valve Prolapse

When the heart contracts, a prolapsed mitral valve may allow blood to reflux back into the left atrium, rather than enter the aorta exclusively.

What is it?

In mitral valve prolapse (MVP)—also known as floppy mitral valve syndrome—the valve between the heart's left atrium (upper chamber) and left ventricle (lower chamber) does not close normally and balloons backward, or prolapses, into the atrium. Disquieting as a heart valve abnormality may sound, MVP is typically harmless and causes no symptoms. However, in less than 4 percent of cases, blood may flow backward through the valve from the ventricle to the atrium (mitral regurgitation). Rarely, when severe, this can interfere with blood supply to the body, which may produce symptoms and require treatment.Often discovered in early adulthood,MVP affects nearly 5 percent of the population.

What Causes It?

  • The cause of MVP is most likely genetic.
  • Women are twice as likely to develop MVP as men, especially women who are thin or who have scoliosis (curvature of the spine) or other types of skeletal abnormalities of the chest.

Prevention

  • There is no known way to prevent MVP.

Diagnosis

  • MVP is typically discovered during a routine checkup, as the condition produces characteristic sounds that can be heard through a stethoscope.
  • Echocardiography (the use of ultrasound to map the structure and motion of the heart) confirms the diagnosis.

How to Treat It

  • Treatment is rarely needed, but people with MVP should have regular checkups. Periodic echocardiograms may help evaluate a patient's status.
  • Those with MVP are at increased risk for endocarditis (infection of a heart valve), and so may be given antibiotics prior to some dental or surgical procedures to help prevent infection.
  • Beta-blocking drugs (often used for high blood pressure) may be prescribed for patients with frequent or bothersome palpitations. However, these drugs may exacerbate fatigue.
  • For the most severe and debilitating cases of MVP, surgery to reconstruct or replace the prolapsed valve may be recommended.

When to Call a Doctor

  • See a doctor for frequent dizziness or palpitations.