Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP)
Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is a condition in which the heart‘s mitral valve doesn’t work well. The flaps of the valve are “floppy” and don’t close tightly. These flaps normally help seal or open the valve.
SymptomsTestsTreatmentsPreventionPart of: Heart Valve Disease
About Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP)
Mitral (MI-tral) valve prolapse (MVP) is a condition in which the heart‘s mitral valve doesn’t work well. The flaps of the valve are “floppy” and don’t close tightly. These flaps normally help seal or open the valve.
Much of the time, MVP doesn’t cause any problems. Rarely, blood can leak the wrong way through the floppy valve. This can lead to palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain, and other symptoms. (Palpitations are feelings that your heart is skipping a beat, fluttering, or beating too hard or too fast.)
Normal Mitral Valve
The mitral valve controls blood flow between the upper and lower chambers of the left side of the heart. The upper chamber is called the left atrium (AY-tree-um). The lower chamber is called the left ventricle (VEN-trih-kul).
The mitral valve allows blood to flow from the left atrium into the left ventricle, but not back the other way. The heart also has a… Read more about Mitral Valve Prolapse