Is mitral valve degeneration dangerous?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Doctor of Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital.

According to research, mitral valve degeneration is considered one of the most common forms of mitral valve disease in the US and many other developed countries. So, is mitral valve disease dangerous?

1. What is mitral valve degeneration?

Mitral valve degeneration is a condition that occurs when the mitral valve connective tissue has morphological changes that cause degenerative lesions. This causes the leaflets to prolapse and leads to various degrees of mitral regurgitation.
Mitral valve degeneration has two main forms:
Barlow's disease Fibroelastic deficiency

2. Types of degenerative mitral valve disease

Besides 2 types of mitral valve degeneration mentioned above:
2.1 Barlow's disease Barlow's disease can appear in 2 forms of etiology, histological lesions and gross lesions.
Etiology, histological lesions: unknown cause, in some cases related to genetic factors in the family. This degenerative condition occurs when all three structural layers of the leaflet are destroyed, accompanied by mucociliary infiltration of the mitral valve, eventually leading to an excess of mitral tissue and mitral thickening. Macroscopic lesion: waveform or prolapse of multiple valve segments. At this time, the anterior leaflet often has a large excess, while the posterior leaflet has many thickened segments and excess valve tissue. Some clinical manifestations help diagnose Barlow's disease such as:
Usually young people under 40 years old, more women have it than men and may not have any functional symptoms. On auscultation, a click between systolic and end-systolic murmur can be seen. Review and diagnosis are based on history of monitoring heart murmurs or family history of mitral valve prolapse. Patients have symptoms such as fatigue, palpitations, shortness of breath or heart failure.

2.2 Deficiency of mitral spondylolisthesis Like Barlow, deficiency of mitral spondylolisthesis can also be divided into 2 cases:
Etiology, histological damage: connective tissue in scleroderma lacks substances such as elastin , collagen, proteoglycan make the valve leaflet more slender. Meanwhile, 3 structural layers of the leaflets are still intact. Macroscopic lesions: the leaflets are normal in size but thinner, in the prolapsed segment may be dilated. Thin, missing, and broken ligaments are also the cause of mitral regurgitation, mitral valve prolapse. Clinical development in mitral spondylolisthesis:
Common in middle-aged or elderly people. There are no symptoms until the ligament is broken. There may be signs of heart failure. On auscultation, a full-systolic murmur can be heard. Other degenerative mitral valve diseases
Besides the 2 types of mitral valve degeneration mentioned above, there are also some other degenerative mitral valve diseases such as:
Marfan disease with 3 main abnormalities: eye abnormalities, cardiovascular, morphological and skeletal. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome Mitral annulus degeneration

3. Is mitral valve degeneration dangerous?

Most cases of mitral valve degeneration do not present any specific symptoms. When mitral valve degeneration is at a mild stage, it usually does not affect the patient's health. Some symptoms may be encountered such as: dizziness, chest pain, palpitations. However, these symptoms are sometimes ignored because of the subjectivity of the patient.
Mitral valve degeneration if not detected and treated early, every time the heart contracts, blood will flow back into the left atrium more often, thereby leading to mitral regurgitation. After many years, mitral valve regurgitation can become severe, causing the heart to gradually weaken, even showing symptoms of congestive heart failure.
Therefore, although at first, mitral valve degeneration may not cause any danger, but patients should still have regular check-ups for follow-up in case they have been diagnosed with mitral valve degeneration. This can minimize the severity of symptoms later on.

4. Diagnosis and treatment of mitral valve degeneration

To diagnose mitral valve degeneration, the doctor will initially check the patient's cardiovascular history in combination with clinical symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, leg edema,... Then There, your doctor will use a stethoscope to check for sounds that are characteristic of mitral regurgitation.
Finally, depending on the specific condition of the patient, some other tests may be indicated such as: echocardiography, chest X-ray, electrocardiogram,...
For degenerative cases If the mitral valve is not symptomatic, treatment may not be needed. Some people with more severe conditions may be prescribed medication or surgery when needed.

5. Advice for people with mitral valve degeneration

Most patients with mitral valve degeneration in the mild stage, without serious complications, do not need to be treated with oral or surgical treatment. However, the patient should not be so subjective. Patients need to take measures to prevent the disease from progressing by maintaining a healthy, scientific lifestyle:
Limit participation in strenuous physical activities. Avoid using stimulants, do not let the body fall into a state of stress or excessive stress. Regular exercise and relaxation Periodic check-up to monitor the condition of the hospital Vinmec International General Hospital is one of the hospitals that not only ensures professional quality with a team of leading doctors, medical system, and medical system. equipped with modern technology, but also outstanding with comprehensive and professional medical examination, consultation and treatment services; civilized, polite, safe and sterile medical examination and treatment space.
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Types of echocardiography Diagnosis and treatment of mitral valve prolapse Complications of mitral valve prolapse