MVP

[purr]

I was diagnosed with MVP in 2003 via echo.  I dont know the exact numbers which I apologize for. I am a 25 yr old mother of 3.  My first ever EKG then stated "left ventrical hypotrophy" which I was worried sick and read horror stories on the internet. So I was sent to a cardiologist before my surgical procedure to make sure everything was ok.

My cardiologist who is a very well known doctor around here stated that I dont need a follow up echo, ekg, etc.  So I'm assuming its not terribly bad.  

I've had a resting heart rate approx 80-90 after I contracted Cdiff following my sons birth in august.  When I first had cdiff my hr was 120+.  My doc sent me to the hospital and the doc said that I had sinus tachyardia.  No further treatment.

After I was cleared of the cdiff, I asked my primary to put me on a holter monitor, and an EKG.  The ekg was normal and my holter was perfect.  

I started seeing an endocrinologist because I felt my hormones are off and he said that I do have tachyardia and he didnt think I needed any medication for it and wanted a follow up in 3 months.

I was wondering, whats the chances of my MVP getting worse in the past 3 years? Can this turn into heart failure?  I'm worried sick that I have cardiomyopathy or something drastically wrong with my heart.

Also,  Since I had cdiff resulting from childbirth and the antibiotics during labor, do I absolutely NEED to be placed on antibiotics before I have my teeth cleaned?  I've been putting my cleaning off and getting my gallbladder out because I am scared of getting cdiff again.

Thanks :)

[CCF-M.D.-MJM]

Hello,

Sorry to hear about the C. diff. It is expected that your heart rate would increase with C. diff because your overall fluid volume is usually decreased from the diarrhea.

EKGs are a good screening test to look for LVH, but there a lot of false positives.  An echocardiogram can easily confirm whether it is present.

I was wondering, whats the chances of my MVP getting worse in the past 3 years? Can this turn into heart failure? I'm worried sick that I have cardiomyopathy or something drastically wrong with my heart.

MVP prolapse encompasses a very broad spectrum from no symptoms with minimal chances of progressing to severe prolapse.  Your chances of progressing depend on how significant your MVP is.  If your cardiologist recommended no follow up needed, it is very unlikely that your MVP is going to progress.  It sounds like this concern is causing you significant stress, so it is probably worth seeing your cardiologist again.  It is likely that an echocardiogram is not clinically indicated, but I will occassionally order a test like this because I know the patient needs reassured that they are ok.  

Not all MVP needs antibiotics.  Again, this depends on the degree of MVP you have by echo.  I think seeing your cardiologist again will help give you some peace of mind.

Happy holidays and thanks for posting.

[purr]

Oh, forgot to mention that I have bad health anxiety, so I'm worried about any ache or pain that I get.  Every time I bring this up to my PCP he laughs at me and says nothing is wrong with your heart. My BP is also normal - avg on my blood pressure cuff I have here is 110/64, and my avg heart rate is 84.

[CollegeGirl143]

http://www.mvprolapse.com/mvp.html

hope that helps.

[iAmEllen]

Many doctors don't even consider MVP to be a disorder anymore but rather just a normal anatomical variation.  In the vast majority of patients it's benign and not associated with anything dangerous.

[kitcurious]

It depends on the degree of the prolapse/regurge. My uncle died of it. They tightened the diagnostic criteria for MVP in recent times so many people had such a mild prognosis because they never really had it in the first place.

[kitcurious]

If your doctor recommended no follow-up it is likely your MVP was pretty mild. Another echo might ease your mind. Most people with MVP have a mild case  ( and some don't really have it all, it was over diagnosed in the past ). The degree of regurgitation is what they look for. Many many people have trace regurge from a valve and they are perfectly healthy. Bacterial Endocarditis is the other possible problem, but only some people need antibiotics. You may be so mildy affected you may not even need those.  
You're fine, but if another echo will make you feel like you have more up-to-date info, it's reasonable to ask your doctor about it.

[woodruff]

My first stress echo this year showed a bit of regurg from every valve, but I had no noticeable impairment on the stress test, and all the leakage was  mild, the most significant being from the aortic valve.  Because of that one, I am now supposed to take antibiotics before dental work, but frankly, I don't feel any different.  I go to the gym at least five days a week, and work out pretty hard, too, as I have done for years.

Statistically speaking, I may be in line for a valve repair/replacement sometime in the future, but for now, no one is very excited about it all.