Questions posted in the
Heart Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
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Subject: Re: mitral valve regurgitation Dear Doctor, Thank You for the great service you provide. I'm sure many would agree that your services reduce many of our anxieties! Just a few questions: Mild mitral regurgitation is observed as being a trivial condition by many doctors, yet this is not reassuring to me since I interpret any amount of valve leakage as something to be concerned about...not overly concerned about it, but it shouldn't be ignored either. Why do you suppose doctors react that way? Secondly, is there a difference between mitral regurgitation that results from MVP or other conditions such as rheumatic fever or a heart attack? In other words does the likelihood of regurgitation progression depend on what caused the valve damage in the first place? My valve was supposedly damaged from rheumatic fever when I was a baby. Finally, is taking 120mg of Inderal daily considered to be an average or high dosage of medication to control BP and heart rhythm. I've been taking this medication for 16 years and I know that it's not taking care of the regurgitation problem, but, is it preventing it from getting worse? How safe is taking beta-blockers for so many years? I suspect I'll probably have to take Inderal for the rest of my life since last summer when I stopped taking the med. for two days before taking a stress test, the BP went up and I felt a lot of palpitations. (Stress test revealed no coronary disease-which was a great relief to know.) Thank You for your time and the information. helena
Q: Is there a difference between mitral regurgitation that results from MVP or other conditions such as rheumatic fever or a heart attack? Q: Finally, is taking 120mg of Inderal daily considered to be an average or high dosage of medication to control BP and heart rhythm. I hope you find this information useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only. Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions. If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.
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