Mitral Valve Regurgitation with irregular heart rhythyms

  I am 33 years old, and have been presenting with the following symptoms:  irregular heartbeats, sometimes fast, and then suddenly slow and pounding, with a "butterflies" sensation in my chest; chest pain which feels like a cramping sensation in the area of my heart; some dizziness and lightheadedness; some shortness of breath; trouble keeping warm; a tingling sensation at times in my lips, also with ocassional blue tinge of color around the outer edges of my lips; tiredness and fatigue; a newly discovered heart murmur that was not present two years ago; a good cholesterol level for my "bad" cholesterol of 187, however, a low cholesterol level of 40 for my "good" cholesterol; and an abnormal ECG and STRESS test that showed I have a complete left bundle brach block.  My cardiologist had an ECHOCARDIOGRAM performed on me that showed no prominent findings other than some mitral valve regurgitation.  My cardiologist is currently having me undergo a 30-day continuous-loop event recorder to try to record my irregular heartbeats, and then will be discussing the results of my ECHO along with the 30 day heart monitor in about a month.  Combined with my other symptoms, is this mitral valve regurgitation serious?  Could it cause my LBBB?  Thank you for any information that you could give me to give me some sort of understanding of my condition.

[CCF CARDIO MD APS]

Dear Barbara,
I apologize firstly for the delay in answering your question on the Heart Forum.
It is very difficult to comment on your regurgitation of the mitral valve except to say that a little MR (mitral regurgitation) is nothing to worry about, i.e. in an of itself.  The more MR you have, the more concern there is and the more frequent the follow up should be for the patient.  Of course it is just as important that the morphology of the valve structure itself be investigated on the echo which often helps to define the mechanism of the MR.
I believe that the 30 day heart monitor will be very helpful, especially considering that from what you state the echo showed, that NO, mild MR can not explain your symptoms which sound more serious for sure than the MR.  Make sure that you keep a detailed diary of your symptoms while you wear the holter monitor.  Good Luck.
I hope this information is useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for
general purposes only.  Only your physician can provided specific diagnoses and therapies.
Feel free to write back with further questions. Good luck!
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