Concerned about Mitro valve syndrome. please help

[miss smith]

My boyfriend was recently diagnosed with mitro valve syndrome. Neither one of us really understand the condition.  We are planning to get married soon but we have posponed the wedding because we were told he may have to undergo open heart surgery if the condition does not heal itsself soon, but from the articles I have read it doesnt seem like it is something that goes away.  Can this problem just heal itself?  Could it shorten his life? Is it serious? Please help. We need answers

[miss smith]

Correction - Mitro Valve Prolapse syndrome

[MCKA]

I'm not sure how serious his condition is.  How was he diagnosed?  Was he having problems that lead them to do an Echo?  I was diagnosed 7 years ago with a Mitral Valve Prolapse, but mine couldn't be read on an EKG, it took an ultrasound (Echo) of the heart to find it.  Now, I've recently had some health problems over the past 6 months that lead them back to checking the heart again.  A week & a half ago I went in for another Echo, and this cardiologist didn't see any prolapse of that valve, said everything looks great! It's hard to say how serious your fiance's condition is.  Everyone has different severities, but I will tell you that I was reading some interesting info a few weeks ago on the net about a surgery that can be done now that's minimally invasive - an outpatient kind of deal.  Less recovery- you may want to check into it with his cardiologist.  It's an outpatient surgery with 1/2 the recovery time & 1/2 the scarring.  Good luck to you both - let us know how it turns out!

[nickppatel]

All open heart surgeries are serious, but on the scale of 1 to 10, mitral valve surgeries generally do not rank as among the most serious (in my understanding). From what I know, the condition usually does not heal itself. It stays stable or gets worse. For most it stays stable, but if it worsens, then surgery is needed to correct it. I guess what I'm saying is, don't get too stressed out about it - there are worse things he could have!! If he needs surgery, go to an experienced, high-volume hospital and all should be fine.

†
Nick

[nickppatel]

PS - www.mvpsupport.com is a great support site for people with mitral valve problems. I used to visit there a lot but haven't recently because my mitral valve problem is the least of my worries :)

[Momto3]

MVP is not the same as MVP Syndrome. I extracted the following from http://www.mitralvalveprolapse.com/INDEX.htm.htm.  While I can't verify the validity of this website, there are a number of sites that offer information on the subject.

"What is MVP (mitral valve prolapse)? In a normal valve the flow of blood goes from the left atrium to the left ventricle. Upon closing it prevents blood from going back into the left atrium. With MVP the flaps don't close evenly. One or both flaps collapse backwards, sometimes allowing a small amount of blood to leak through the valve. Mitral valve prolapse is a genetic disorder and seems to affect women three times more than men. It is one of the most common cardiac findings. There is usually no need to be concerned. The heart is functioning perfectly normally and does not tend to degenerate over time. Diagnosis is usually confirmed by an echocardiogram, which provides an actual picture of the valve. Infection of the mitral valve, endocarditis, is extremely rare. However, people with MVP have a slightly greater risk of contracting it. For this reason we suggest antibiotic prophylaxis for certain dental and surgical procedures. Speak to your physician.

What is MVP Syndrome? Forty percent of patients with mitral valve prolapse also have an imbalance of the autonomic nervous system, or ANS, called dysautonomia. The ANS is composed of two systems; the parasympathetic and the sympathetic. It controls virtually all bodily functions, such as respiration, heartbeat, blood pressure, vision, and digestion. When this system is out of balance it can cause myriad of symptoms, including panic attacks, anxiety, fatigue, palpitations, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and more. This combination of symptoms is know as MVP Syndrome. Diagnosis is made by physical examination, a careful medical history, and an echocardiogram. Unfortunately, MVP does not always show up on an echocardiogram. Thus, MVPS is a clinical diagnosis. Usually symptoms do not show up before the age of 14 or 15, but more and more children display central nervous system symptoms before the MVP shows up. Ninety-eight percent of people with MVP Syndrome have nothing wrong with their heart. The majority of symptoms are caused by an out-of-balance nervous system.

MVPS info: Common triggering events - childbirth, major viral illness, menopause, accident, surgery, college (leaving home and stress), death of a loved one, marriage, moving, divorce. Our nervous system doesn't differentiate between good or bad stress.

People with MVPS have a higher incidence of: TMJ temporomandibular joint dysfunction), scoliosis, fibromyalgia, PMS, fibrocystic breast disorder, tinnitus, infertility, SAD (seasonal affective disorder), altitude sickness, seasickness, and endometriosis.

Things to avoid: Humidity, extreme temperatures, saunas, lifting heavy weights."

Perhaps your fiance should contact his physician to clarify the diagnosis and his/her recommendations.

I was diagnosed with MVP about 30 years ago.  Because I also have mitral regurg, I get periodic checkups, but it doesn't otherwise prevent me from living life as I normally would.  Did the doctor say anything to indicate there was a more complex problem?

Good luck to you both!!  Have a great day!
connie

[babyblu]

Hi. I am 47 years old. I have had a mvp sence I was 21. I have no restrictions on anything, as far as activities.  I do take antibiotics before surgeries, which that started about 9 years ago.  Before that, I didn't take any thing for it.  I was told by my doctor, after having a caterization, to watch the caffine and not to smoke.  I have noticed that to much caffine does affect it. So I just stay away from it for awhile.  Some times my heart acts up alot and it might do that for months.  Then it  settles down.  I do get dizzy sometimes, I also get migrains.  No one has said for sure, but I do believe that they are related to the mvp.
I believe it has worsened over the years, but diffenetly not enough to get heart surgery.  I get an echo every 6 months to a year.  It's been pretty much the same no better, no worse.  So.. I quess, literally, you really just have to listen to your heart. (No pun intended.)