Moderate mitral regurgitation

[Dee]

I am a 47-year-old woman.  My doctor recently informed me I had "moderate mitral regurgitation" by my internist on the basis of an echocardiogram.  She also said even though what I had was "not run-of-the-mill mitral valve prolapse" that my heart was "fine," which I guess meant that I didn't have any hypertrophy, although I thought existence of this hypertrophy was the key to distinguishing moderate MR from mild MR.  Neither did she mention anything about diagnostic follow-ups, which especially concerns me because when I first went to the doctor about heart problems when I was about 30, I was told I had only mild mitral regurgitation on the basis of an echocardiogram and Holter monitor test.  For what it's worth, when I was having the most recent echocardiogram done, the technician turned on the sound, and I heard sloshing sounds with the heartbeat.  Is this condition likely to progress and what should I do?  
    My managed care plan does not cover cardiologist visits (at least for something so minor), so I would greatly appreciate any advice you could give me.

[Teddy2011]

A related discussion, How serious is this? was started.

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

No MR does not necessarily mean there is muscle damage.  You don't need to go to your doctor any more frequently than anyone else for sore throats.

[Dee]

Does a diagnosis of moderate MR imply heart muscle problems, or are other considerations involved?  Is it possible that someone could have a badly damaged valve but no hypertrophy because of increasing avoidance of intense physical activity?  I have heard that heart muscle hypertrophy is considered the key problem, but I am unclear on the key issues.

One more question: Is strep throat dangerous for those with this diagnosis?  Should I be going to a doctor every time I have a sore throat?

Thank you so much for this information!

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

Long standing mitral regurg (MR) can increase the risk of developing afib and subsequently a stroke and this is a reason to follow the MR to prevent this from happening.  MVP by itself is not as much of a concern as the MR and very mild MR may not always show up on an echo.

[kristine]

i am 34 years old and have had mitral valve proplapse for two years. mild to moderate regurgitation. 2 years ago it showed up on my echo. 2 months ago while having an stress echo they didnt see it. i know it didnt dissapear.why didnt they still see it? i have been hearing the tee test is better than the echo and that the echo isnt as acurate as we think it is is this true? also there has been alot of talk about sudden death and mvp and valve repair replacement. is this very rare? why do most doctors seem to just blow off mvp like it is nothing? and what causes the syndrome part of mvp i have the nervous system imbalance with this. it causes most of my symptoms.it didnt start untill the mvp came out. my nervous system got hypersensitive also causing a myriad of symptoms. tell me why do doctors seem to not want to recognize the s at the end of mvp? i feel i have mvps. but cant find a doctor to take me seriously. i know its not in my head when thousands of others have the same symptoms as me. thank you.

[Dee]

Thank you for the information.  One more question:  does this increase my chances of getting atrial fibrillation, and if so, a stroke?  Is there anything I can do to lower my risk of getting it?

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

In general we will follow someone with moderate mitral regurgitation with yearly or biyearly echocardiograms as there is the possibility of worsening regurgitation.